As the news of the secret realm spread, no one had realized how quickly it would travel.
What had initially been confined to the southern regions of Dragon Yuan Province soon crossed countless mountains, rivers, and cultivation territories.
Rank-2 families.
Independent cultivators.
Merchant associations.
Sect branches.
All of them eventually heard whispers of the same thing.
A secret realm.
A chance.
An opportunity capable of changing one's fate.
Who wouldn't be tempted?
After all, cultivation itself was a struggle against mortality.
The higher one's cultivation, the longer one's lifespan.
For immortal cultivators, lifespan increased steadily with each major realm.
Qi Refining cultivators could generally live around one hundred and fifty years.
Foundation Establishment cultivators could reach three hundred.
Purple Palace cultivators possessed lifespans approaching five hundred years.
Meanwhile, martial artists followed an entirely different path.
Innate Realm martial artists generally lived around one hundred and twenty years.
Xuan Gang experts could reach two hundred and fifty.
Astral Gang cultivators could live for four hundred years.
At first glance, the difference did not appear overwhelming.
Yet when viewed from a higher perspective, the disparity became increasingly obvious.
Immortal cultivators possessed greater longevity.
Greater versatility.
And a path that extended beyond Purple Palace.
Meanwhile, martial artists remained trapped beneath the Astral Gang Realm.
At least according to all publicly known records.
No one had ever seen a martial artist step beyond that boundary.
Not within Dragon Yuan Province.
Not within neighboring provinces.
Not within any recorded history available to ordinary cultivators.
Naturally, most people would choose immortal cultivation if given the option.
A longer lifespan alone was enough reason.
Yet martial artists continued to exist.
Continued to flourish.
Continued to fight.
Because the martial path possessed advantages of its own.
A terrifying physique.
Explosive combat power.
A spirit forged through battle.
Many martial artists believed that the path had not truly ended.
They simply had not discovered the next step.
As for whether that belief was true—
No one knew.
...
Dragon Yuan Province.
Lin Family Mountain.
The atmosphere within the council hall had become increasingly oppressive.
Several jade tables had already been replaced during the last few days.
Not because of age.
But because angry elders kept smashing them.
One elder slammed his palm onto the table before him.
Crack.
The entire jade surface split apart.
"Damn it!"
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
No one stopped him.
Because everyone shared the same frustration.
The news had spread too quickly.
Far too quickly.
Their concealment efforts had not been weak.
They had deployed formations.
Controlled information.
Manipulated rumors.
Guided attention toward the possibility of a heavenly treasure.
Everything had proceeded according to plan.
Yet somehow—
The truth still escaped.
A secret realm.
The most sensitive piece of information.
And now half the surrounding regions seemed to know about it.
The hall fell silent.
Each elder wore a different expression.
Some appeared angry.
Some appeared thoughtful.
Others appeared worried.
One female elder narrowed her eyes.
"There are methods we do not understand."
No one disagreed.
The cultivation world was vast.
No individual could claim complete knowledge.
There were countless strange inheritances.
Secret arts.
Divination techniques.
Tracking methods.
Bloodline abilities.
Perhaps someone had discovered traces through one of those methods.
Another elder frowned.
"You suspect an external force?"
"It is possible."
"Or perhaps someone observed the celestial phenomenon before we concealed it."
The discussion continued.
Yet regardless of the explanation, the result remained unchanged.
The news had spread.
The situation could no longer be hidden.
Eventually, one elder sighed.
"What matters now isn't how the news escaped."
"What matters is how we respond."
The hall gradually quieted.
Everyone knew he was right.
Blaming each other would accomplish nothing.
The secret realm would open regardless.
Visitors would come regardless.
Conflict would occur regardless.
One elder suddenly spoke.
"The younger generation."
Several gazes shifted toward him.
He continued calmly.
"The secret realm is restricted."
"Purple Palace cultivators cannot enter."
"Neither can Golden Core cultivators."
"This remains our greatest advantage."
Several elders nodded.
That much was true.
A Rank-3 secret realm possessed natural restrictions.
Anyone beyond Purple Palace would be rejected.
Even Purple Palace cultivators themselves would find entry difficult.
This meant the competition would primarily occur between Foundation Establishment cultivators.
And perhaps some exceptionally talented Xuan Gang experts.
Another elder stroked his beard.
"Blocking entry entirely is impossible."
"Doing so would only create enemies."
"Especially now."
The others understood.
The Lin Family remained powerful.
Yet even a Golden Core family could not challenge everyone.
Not when outsiders would be arriving from multiple provinces.
Not when sects and powerful families became involved.
Trying to monopolize everything would be foolish.
The female elder smiled slightly.
"Then we allow them inside."
The hall gradually became quieter.
Several elders seemed to understand her meaning.
She continued.
"They may enter."
"They may compete."
"They may obtain opportunities."
"They may gather resources."
"But..."
A faint coldness entered her eyes.
"They cannot break through inside the secret realm."
Several elders smiled.
The atmosphere immediately improved.
Because they had already made preparations.
Long before the information leaked.
Long before outsiders even knew the secret realm existed.
After all—
The secret realm was located within Dragon Yuan Province.
The Lin Family had naturally investigated it first.
They knew more than anyone else.
One elder chuckled.
"Even if they obtain resources capable of supporting a Purple Palace breakthrough..."
"They'll still need to leave first."
Another nodded.
"And once they leave..."
The sentence remained unfinished.
It didn't need completion.
Everyone present understood.
A resource capable of creating a Purple Palace cultivator was priceless.
Absolutely priceless.
Such treasures could alter the balance of an entire province.
Would outsiders truly believe the Lin Family would simply allow those resources to leave?
Of course not.
The elders exchanged knowing smiles.
The secret realm itself was dangerous.
Yet the true danger would begin after people emerged.
...
Far away from Lin Family Mountain.
Within a bustling cultivation city located beyond Dragon Yuan Province.
Several Foundation Establishment cultivators sat around a table.
A map lay spread before them.
One of them pointed toward Dragon Yuan Province.
"Here."
"The information came from three separate sources."
Another frowned.
"You trust them?"
The first cultivator nodded.
"Enough."
A third cultivator laughed.
"Whether it's true or not, we're going."
No one disagreed.
Because opportunities like this rarely appeared.
If they missed it now, they might never encounter another.
Within the cultivation world, hesitation often meant failure.
A few days later.
Caravans began moving.
Flying artifacts crossed mountain ranges.
Independent cultivators formed temporary alliances.
Mercenary groups accepted escort missions.
Countless individuals began heading south.
The movement started slowly.
Then rapidly intensified.
Like rivers converging toward the sea.
...
Meanwhile.
Cloud Mist Market.
Lin Sheng quietly put away a communication jade.
The information he had just received came directly from Zhao Feng.
Secret realm.
The words had become impossible to avoid.
Even the market had changed.
The number of cultivators entering each day had increased dramatically.
Prices rose.
Resources became scarce.
Several inns had become fully occupied.
Everywhere he looked, people discussed the same topic.
Lin Sheng stood near a pavilion overlooking part of the market.
His expression remained calm.
Yet his thoughts moved rapidly.
A secret realm.
For ordinary cultivators, it represented opportunity.
For him—
It represented both opportunity and danger.
The Starry Sky Visualization Method continued progressing steadily yet it seemed to have slowed down dramatically at 85% almost as if it was missing something.
Maybe, just maybe he might find a way to quickly accelerate the progress.