CFRSIO Chapter 56

The day of the sect competition arrived quickly.

The sect competition was about how many people returned from the secret realm and how many treasures they brought back.

Many cultivators stood at the entrance to the secret realm, their expressions excited, eagerly awaiting its opening.

After all, this was a grand event that happened only once every hundred years, and not many people had the chance to witness it. Many cultivators had only heard about it from their elders.

Seeing it with their own eyes now, they were naturally happy.

“Is this the opening of the secret realm? It’s truly grand!”

“Yes. More than grand. It’s simply enviable. I also want to participate in the Chengyuan Secret Realm.”

“Don’t even think about it. You and I have no chance.”

“Alas, they are so lucky to be able to witness this Chengyuan Secret Realm.”

“I heard that talents cultivated by several major sects for many years will participate this time.”

“They are also daring. Everyone says that one in ten people survives the Chengyuan Secret Realm, and how many geniuses have been lost from its opening to its conclusion!”

“Alas, fortune favors the bold, and the timid starve. We must go.”

“I just don’t know how many people will die this time.”

“I see several Qi Refining cultivators have also gone. Aren’t they just going to be cannon fodder?”

“Let them go. It’s just right for them to be stepping stones for the geniuses of the sect.”

“I agree.”

A group of people chatted and laughed, each saying a few words, appearing somewhat bold. It seemed they had no fear of this secret realm, and the news from within the secret realm had spread too little, so they had not expected it.

This secret realm held a great secret that none of them had expected!

“What’s wrong with you two today? Why are you so quiet? Are you scared?” A slap landed on two people wearing Qingyun Sect disciple uniforms. They were being teased.

It could be seen that their relationship was good on weekdays.

“How could we be? We’re just scared by this grand occasion.” The person who was suddenly slapped swayed slightly but didn’t fall, giving a wry smile.

“Isn’t it?” The sect disciples continued, “Me too. I haven’t joined the sect for long, and I didn’t expect to encounter such a major event!”

“This time, our sect disciples will definitely win first place in the sect competition!”

“Senior brother is right!” Although the person beside him agreed, if one looked closely, they would notice the emotions in that person’s eyes.

It was not sincerity, but rather a hint of mockery.

These two people were Lin Yunliang and Zhang Qing’an. They hadn’t planned to participate.

But Siam had found them.

“You want us to participate in this Chengyuan Secret Realm?” Lin Yunliang said, shocked. This was not in line with their plan.

Guang Baiqiao and Ning Shijiang were definitely going to participate in the Chengyuan Secret Realm. Lin Yunliang had already told Guang Baiqiao about the situation. When the person involved heard about this, he was also shocked, especially since Guang Baiqiao seemed very close to Ning Shijiang at that time.

“Those father and son…” Zhang Qing’an took a long time to find his voice.

Although he had experienced several small worlds, his initial character and thoughts would not change easily. Therefore, even though he had experienced several small worlds, he was still shocked by this situation.

He even felt a bit disgusted and almost vomited, clutching his chest.

Lin Yunliang, standing beside him, had a look of self-reproach on his face. He didn’t feel as disgusted, but he hadn’t expected Zhang Qing’an to react like this. He quickly stepped forward and gently patted Zhang Qing’an’s back.

“I shouldn’t have told you this.”

Zhang Qing’an shook his head. It was not Lin Yunliang’s fault; it was this person who had done such disgusting things himself.

Siam was now curled up to the side, being a good cat and not speaking. Only when the two of them seemed to have given him their attention did he continue.

“My lords, you must go to this secret realm this time.”

Siam forced himself to explain, “This is your last mission.”

“According to the rules of the Wish Bureau, you must not only complete your own mission but also the original ending of the small world’s plot.”

“This small world will eventually be revived. You need to complete this matter.”

“But you have already acted against the two protagonists of this world. Their current achievements and cultivation are far from what they were in the original plot.”

“Therefore, the breakthrough this time will likely need to be achieved by you.”

Lin Yunliang understood, but he still had a question: “But, An’an and I are just cannon fodder. For us two cannon fodder to break through? That doesn’t seem right.”

“Not entirely.” Siam continued to explain, “Originally, your two…”

Siam was timid and didn’t dare to say those words directly in front of him. Siam also knew that Lin Yunliang definitely wouldn’t be able to hear those words, and if he said them, he would definitely be glared to death.

He could only quickly change his words, “Originally, your plot was to be a stepping stone for Guang Baiqiao and Ning Shijiang to improve their cultivation.”

“Now that you two have not followed the plot, their cultivation will definitely decrease, and they will not have experienced many things. This action has changed not only the fate lines of Guang Baiqiao and Ning Shijiang but also the fate lines of many others.”

“According to the original plot, the backup candidates of those who broke through would participate in the Chengyuan Secret Realm.”

“That’s why I hope you two will participate in the Chengyuan Secret Realm.”

“Their current cultivation is not enough to bring out the items needed to break through in the Chengyuan Secret Realm.”

“And they have no way to improve their cultivation to the point where they are qualified to break through in a short time.”

“Therefore, you two must go and help them bring out the items needed to break through.”

Hearing this, the two looked at each other, clearly surprised. Zhang Qing’an asked, “What are the items for breaking through?”

“It’s the Heavenly Dao of Chengyuan,” Siam said, and continued to explain to the two, “The Chengyuan Continent has been around for many years, and there are so many ascendant cultivators. It is indeed enough for the Heavenly Dao to be born.”

“It’s just that at that time, before the Heavenly Dao had completely formed, it was trapped in the Chengyuan Secret Realm.”

“Now that the Heavenly Dao of Chengyuan has taken shape and has gained sentience, someone needs to bring it out. Otherwise, the Chengyuan Continent, which has lost its Heavenly Dao, will collapse.”

Siam knew that his request was not easy, so he immediately put on a fawning smile, “My lords, this is your last mission.”

“As long as you two can bring out the Heavenly Dao of Chengyuan.”

“The Heavenly Dao has now gained sentience, so it will naturally choose a suitable candidate. After that, whatever happens will have nothing to do with you.”

“At that time, I will report to my superiors and ask them to let you choose a stable place to live your own small lives.”

“An’an…” Siam knew that finding Lin Yunliang was useless, so he could only find Zhang Qing’an, “Please, please.”

Zhang Qing’an looked at the pitiful Siam, and he understood. If they didn’t help, it might be difficult to complete this mission. At that time, it might even cause them trouble.

“Alright,” Zhang Qing’an smiled helplessly, “Alright, alright.” He waved his hand, comforting Siam.

Then he turned to look at Lin Yunliang, looking at him with a smile, “Since that’s the case, you have to accompany me?”

“Alright,” Lin Yunliang couldn’t refuse. Besides, he understood.

If it weren’t for the fact that this matter concerned this small world, Siam wouldn’t have appeared to tell them these things, causing them a headache.

Since Zhang Qing’an had already agreed, Lin Yunliang could only agree.

Siam was naturally happy, so happy that he almost wanted to fly. His bright eyes looked happily at Zhang Qing’an. If Lin Yunliang hadn’t been there, the cat might have flown over to give him a big hug and acted spoiled by his side.

Lin Yunliang saw Siam’s expression and knew what he was thinking. However, this was just a cat, and there was no need for them to fuss over it, so he ignored him. Lin Yunliang’s gaze was always on Zhang Qing’an.

Zhang Qing’an also saw Siam’s intention. After all, they had been together through several small worlds and knew Siam’s personality. He smiled at the cat in front of him. But even faster, his attention was drawn away by the person beside him.

The two of them decided that day to participate in the Chengyuan Secret Realm.

It was easy to participate. The passes for the Chengyuan Secret Realm were not many. Their sect only had a hundred of them. Qingyun Sect had many peaks, so the passes distributed to each peak would not be many.

Therefore, they could only select suitable personnel from each peak first, and then sort them. Those with insufficient strength and those who ranked not at the top among the disciples of the peak would be eliminated.

Not many people were selected, but only the top few were truly powerful. The latter were all people with average strength, and they just happened to be the people they chose.

The two selected substitutes knew that the Chengyuan Secret Realm could bring many benefits. They thought that as long as they could survive after entering the secret realm, they would definitely make significant progress.

The two gave the substitutes some elixirs and magical treasures, so that they could improve their strength even without entering the secret realm.

After everything was arranged, Lin Yunliang did something else. And this matter would only appear after the secret realm opened and they entered it.

Lin Yunliang was extremely petty and would not let them off easily.

“The secret realm is opening!!”

“Wow! Is this the opening of the secret realm?!”

“My God, such abundant spiritual energy!”

“I feel like I’m about to break through!”

“Me too!”

The crowd suddenly erupted in exclamations. A dazzling golden light shot out from the horizon, instantly attracting everyone’s attention.

One after another, golden light emanated from people in the crowd. This was the manifestation of the Chengyuan Secret Realm pass receiving the summons from the Chengyuan Secret Realm.

Many people took to the air one after another and entered the secret realm.

Other voices then appeared in the crowd.

“Zhou Jun? Lin Cheng? Why are you two here? Didn’t you two get the Chengyuan Secret Realm passes?”

There were very few people who joined the sect competition among those who recently joined the sect. Among them were a few famous figures, including Ning Shijiang and Guang Baiqiao.

The two stood together intimately, with an atmosphere between them that no one else could penetrate, making the surrounding people extremely envious.

Both of them were single-root cultivators, and one of them had already reached the Golden Core stage. It was expected that they would gain a lot in the secret realm, and by the time they came out, they would surely advance to the Nascent Soul stage.

A Nascent Soul cultivator under a hundred years old was always an object of admiration, no matter when.

The other, Guang Baiqiao, also had a promising future.

The surrounding people were naturally extremely envious.

The envy of the surrounding people was their business. Zhang Qing’an and Lin Yunliang, who were mixed in the crowd, couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t envy; they just found these two people ridiculous. Especially ridiculous.

One appeared upright and kind, but in reality? He conspired with his master to scheme against his junior brother. Although he already had someone whose status was comparable to a Dao companion, he still went to other junior brothers and said strange things from time to time.

One looked innocent and cute, but in reality? It seemed he was practicing some strange techniques, and those techniques seemed to follow a path of absorption. Moreover, this path of absorption even included his master, and this master was even the biological father of the person who appeared to be his Dao companion.

Such a thing would shock anyone, wouldn’t it?

They had done those things behind the scenes, but they appeared to be in a loving relationship on the surface, which was truly laughable.

“An’an, I’ll show you a surprise later,” Lin Yunliang said.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the two people whose identities they had replaced appeared.

The surrounding crowd exclaimed, but before they could say anything, they saw the passes of four people light up. Two of them were the two who had been replaced. The other two were precisely Guang Baiqiao and Ning Shijiang.

Seeing that their passes were activated at the same time as someone else’s, Guang Baiqiao and Ning Shijiang looked at them in confusion.

These two were faster than them.

The next second, they heard a strange voice emerge, which was clearly… Guang Baiqiao’s voice.

However, what Guang Baiqiao said was… “Master.”

It turned out that a transparent curtain suddenly appeared in the sky. Inside the curtain was an unspeakable scene, and there was even sound. The sound was not small, and it was played carefully and drilled into everyone’s ears.

It was normal for cultivators to have occasional fleeting relationships. Some cultivators were even more passionate and dared to do happy things under the moonlight, but the identities of the two people involved were not appropriate!

“Isn’t this…”

“My God?!”

“But, isn’t he…”

Most of the Qingyun Sect disciples dared not speak out, after all, the two people in the curtain were… they were both from their Qingyun Sect! How could they say anything when they were all from the same sect? Moreover, Ning Xiyu had been in the sect for many years and held a not low position.

If they offended someone and incurred their wrath, wouldn’t it be a loss outweighing the gain?

As for the others present, they had no such scruples and spoke directly.

“Ning Xiyu is quite a figure, and he wouldn’t even let go of his son’s potential Dao companion! Tsk, tsk, the world is indeed changing.”

“This Guang Baiqiao is quite capable. These father and son are actually both interested in the same person.”

“Tsk, tsk, with this body and this voice, no wonder Ning Xiyu would fancy him.”

“But, Guang Baiqiao’s cultivation technique how…”

“Yes, you noticed it too? Ning Xiyu’s cultivation…”

“Hahahaha, this Chengyuan Secret Realm is truly surprising!”

“Isn’t it? Very surprising!”

“This Guang Baiqiao, hmm~ I’m also a bit greedy.”

“Hey, you say, if I go find him, will this person agree? It’s also good luck to have a fleeting romance with a single-root cultivator.”

These people were not from Qingyun Sect, and they were elders in their own sects, so they were not afraid of Ning Xiyu, who was also an elder. On the contrary, they would constantly say provocative things. They had long been displeased with Qingyun Sect’s dominance.

Being able to say such sarcastic words now would surely make them happy.

Guang Baiqiao and Ning Shijiang also saw it. Guang Baiqiao’s face instantly turned pale. He never expected that these things about him would be brought up. He… he clearly remembered going to see people secretly at that time, and no one had discovered it!

Could it be Ning Xiyu? No! That’s impossible! Guang Baiqiao immediately dismissed this thought. Why would Ning Xiyu record such things? If these things were exposed, he would have no glory either!

Knowing it couldn’t be Ning Xiyu, he couldn’t figure out who it was specifically.

“Guang Baiqiao!” Ning Shijiang’s teeth-grinding voice came from his ear.

Guang Baiqiao then snapped back to reality, remembering that he was still standing with someone just now, and immediately panicked, “No… it’s not true! Listen to me…”

Other words came from his ear, it was his voice.

“You promised me, you can’t let Zhang Qing’an go.”

As soon as this was said, Ning Shijiang’s expression became even more unpleasant. He had originally listened to Ning Xiyu’s words, which led him to spend more time with Guang Baiqiao. After spending some time together, he found that they suited his taste. Now it seemed that it suited not only his taste but also his father’s taste! He then wondered why his father thought so highly of someone. Guang Baiqiao’s current cultivation and strength were not high. Even if a single-root cultivator had a good future, it would be after the person truly reached a cultivation level worthy of high regard!

So that’s how it was. It was like this! Ning Shijiang glared at the person beside him and then heard this sentence, becoming even more shocked.

He did not expect Guang Baiqiao to do such a thing! Guang Baiqiao had been speaking highly of Zhang Qing’an in front of him.

But before they could speak, they were brought into the secret realm.

It had only just begun, and two interesting things had already occurred, both involving Qingyun Sect. They had originally thought they would see a lot of excitement, but they had forgotten that the involved parties all held secret realm passes, and they disappeared one after another.

Instead, the whole event ended anticlimactically.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely anticlimactic, as Ning Xiyu was still present.

Ning Xiyu’s face was both green and white. He never expected such a thing to happen. He admitted that he had lost his head and had been entangled with Guang Baiqiao until now. He couldn’t remember how he got entangled with Guang Baiqiao in the first place.

But he had to admit that he was indeed somewhat bewitched, which led him to get entangled with people one after another. He also blamed himself for not being cautious enough to let people record these things!

Not only were there voices in the curtain, but also the surrounding people’s chatter, most of which were ridiculing the father and son. It was truly grating on the ears. Some even dared to take out recording stones to record these things.

It was infuriating. Ning Xiyu coldly smashed the curtain. Then, with a cold expression, he was about to leave. He had been overbearing on the Chengyuan Continent for many years, so he was naturally not afraid.

But the more he acted like this, the more people had something to say.

“Hey! Why did he smash it! What a pity!”

“Yes! We haven’t seen enough yet! So stingy!”

“Hey! Fellow Daoist Ning, you should have other recordings on you, right? Don’t hide them! Quickly show us!”

“You’re right!”

“That’s right! Fellow Daoist Ning, don’t keep them to yourself!”

The speakers were elders from other sects. They had the qualifications and ability to speak like this. Other people naturally didn’t dare to speak like this, but many of them agreed in their hearts.

Of course, some people felt ashamed. These were mostly disciples of Qingyun Sect. They never expected such a thing to happen, so they naturally felt ashamed.

In the secret realm:

Guang Baiqiao and Ning Shijiang separated after entering the secret realm.

Guang Baiqiao was now panicking because his cultivation was not high. Originally, according to his plan, he could have advanced smoothly, but unfortunately, he was attacked, which caused his cultivation to regress significantly.

There was even no progress. He had only achieved his current progress by practicing some special techniques that could not be spoken of, so he naturally couldn’t tell anyone about these things. He had originally planned to stop practicing this technique after finding the person who matched him best, but then this happened. That’s why he set his sights on Ning Xiyu.

Ning Xiyu was the person with the highest cultivation he had contacted, and only he could prevent his cultivation from continuing to decline.

At least before this matter was exposed, all of this was appropriate. But unexpectedly, it was exposed, and it happened when he and Ning Shijiang were standing together and about to participate in the Chengyuan Secret Realm.

He was completely panicked and wanted to explain immediately. But there was no opportunity.

Now, the most important thing he should do was to find Ning Shijiang. His cultivation was low, and if he were alone, he probably wouldn’t survive in the secret realm. Ning Shijiang was easy to coax. As long as he found a good reason for this matter, it would be easy to coax him.

Now that Ning Xiyu was not here, wasn’t it all up to him to decide?

Guang Baiqiao wanted to hurry to find him. After walking a few steps, he noticed something was wrong. Someone was following him. Could it be those who participated in the secret realm? Guang Baiqiao felt uneasy. His cultivation was still too low.

Originally, his cultivation could have advanced again before the secret realm, reaching the level of a Half-step Golden Core. Such cultivation was somewhat acceptable in the secret realm.

Unfortunately, he encountered that fellow. But who exactly was that fellow? He seemed to have a good relationship with Zhang Qing’an. Since that was the case, he must not be simple.

Guang Baiqiao had quickened his pace, but he did not expect that the person following behind him was not slow.

Hearing the increasingly presumptuous footsteps, Guang Baiqiao, while panicking, unreservedly threw a talisman in the direction of the sound behind him.

This talisman was something he had obtained from Ning Xiyu. While he was with Ning Xiyu, Ning Xiyu had treated him quite well and gave him many good things, including many talismans.

The talisman made a considerable noise, and with a bang, it kicked up a cloud of dust, giving Guang Baiqiao time to escape.

After he disappeared, the person in the dust finally walked out.

It looked like a child, but his eyes were sharp and intelligent, and it was obvious that he was not a child.

He raised his hand and waved. He had been in the secret realm for many years. It was not that previous participants in the secret realm had not brought talismans, but he had never seen a talisman with such a large commotion, so he was inevitably a little careless.

The injury was not serious, but it allowed the person to escape.

Chengyuan pouted unhappily. It was rare for him to see someone with such a strong destiny in such a long time. Why was he so timid and clueless? He actually used a talisman to escape, which was really disgraceful.

He already harbored some displeasure towards this person in his heart.

Never mind, never mind, he wouldn’t bother with him anymore. Many people had entered this secret realm, and he could go and see others. He didn’t believe he wouldn’t find a suitable candidate.

Chengyuan unhappily threw a ball of spiritual energy into the pit created by the talisman.

After a loud bang, Chengyuan also disappeared, indicating that he had gone to look for others.

After the smoke and dust cleared, Lin Yunliang and Zhang Qing’an, who had been hiding in the dark, finally came out. Both of them had expressions of relief. Although Guang Baiqiao and Ning Shijiang’s destinies had declined significantly, no one could be certain of one thing.

Chengyuan did not consider these two people to be the ones who would break through. Therefore, as soon as they entered, they immediately borrowed Siam’s power to find the whereabouts of Guang Baiqiao and Ning Shijiang.

Coincidentally, Guang Baiqiao was nearby, so they immediately went to find him.

Originally, seeing Chengyuan there, they were worried that Chengyuan would favor this person and want him to become the one who would break through. But they did not expect Guang Baiqiao to throw a talisman at Chengyuan, completely blowing up their connection.

This relieved both Lin Yunliang and Zhang Qing’an.

“Next, we need to find Ning Shijiang and see his attitude,” Lin Yunliang said.

The task they needed to do was to see if Chengyuan would favor Ning Shijiang. As long as Chengyuan did not favor Ning Shijiang, then they would truly be at ease.

“Okay,” Zhang Qing’an also knew what Lin Yunliang was concerned about and nodded in agreement.

Ning Shijiang was the most troublesome person in this matter. Ning Shijiang knew their identities, so they definitely could not let him become the one who would break through. Otherwise, both of them would have a headache later.

The two immediately went to find Ning Shijiang.

Ning Shijiang entered the secret realm with a belly full of anger. The things he saw outside the secret realm still made him extremely annoyed.

There were also some other cultivators around. Some of them had entered earlier than Ning Shijiang, some at almost the same time, and some entered later than him.

Seeing their playful expressions, Ning Shijiang felt as if he had been slapped hard in the face, making him not want to stay there any longer. Even if some familiar cultivators who had entered earlier and had not seen the things on the curtain wanted to come forward and greet him, Ning Shijiang absolutely did not want to give them face.

He turned and left directly.

“No? Why is he so short-tempered today?” The person who had originally wanted to come forward and greet him asked in confusion. He turned and looked at the others around him blankly.

Although they were all participants in the competition, they were all geniuses from various sects, and they had good relationships in the past, so they could still say a few words to each other.

Those who knew the situation around them immediately understood and all smiled, immediately stepping forward to explain to him.

They had a relationship where they could exchange a few words, but where there were geniuses, there were bound to be some conflicts, right?

All the people who heard this could not help but laugh heartily.

Ning Shijiang walked away in anger. Without guessing, they knew that those things had probably spread to everyone participating in the secret realm, and they all knew about those ugly deeds.

Ning Shijiang walked on the road. Although he was angry, he still remembered his purpose this time. Therefore, he headed towards the area where treasures were located.

He naturally ran into many people along the way. They were stunned when they saw Ning Shijiang, and then they all started to laugh at him.

“Look, it’s Ning Shijiang.”

“What Ning Shijiang! He’s clearly a cuckolded turtle!”

“Hahahaha!”

A group of people burst into laughter. In fact, such things were not uncommon, but for such a thing to be exposed, and on such an important day, they had entered now, and they didn’t even know what was happening outside.

It was probably not a small scene.

And indeed, the situation outside was even more stimulating.