Attracting Attention, The Qingyuan Secret Realm
Hearing Liu Qinghui's explanation, the other sects immediately grew curious.
"A secret realm specifically suited for female cultivators?"
"Hard to say—the cultivation world is full of mysteries. What kind of place doesn't exist? Taiqing Sect truly has profound fortune!"
The crowd sighed in admiration.
Liu Qinghui and the other elders wore bitter smiles, as if to say that without their genius disciples showing up this time, everyone else had picked up a bargain.
Another two months slipped by in the blink of an eye.
With the Golden Core disciple competition concluded, the top ten rankings for all three realms were announced.
Each sect presented treasures to reward and encourage their top ten disciples.
But everyone's real focus was on the Qi Condensation rankings. After all, though these children were still at low realms, they were each sect's seeds—the hopes of the future.
"Elder Zuo, your Azure Sea Sect produced a real freak! This girl named Wen Luqing actually has a Heavenly Spiritual Root!"
"A genuine Heavenly Spiritual Root!"
"Elder Zuo, where on earth did you find such a genius?"
The higher-ups of the various sects gawked, their eyes burning with fanatic zeal as they fixed on that somewhat aloof female disciple.
Elder Zuo stroked his beard and burst into hearty laughter, his face beaming with pride. She was the most talented recruit they'd seen in years, and he'd brought her partly to show off.
After all, Wen Luqing was only fifteen, yet already at the peak of Qi Condensation. If not for holding back for the sect grand competition, she could've broken through to Foundation Establishment two years ago!
How could he not be thrilled with such a prodigy?
Liu Qinghui and the Taiqing Sect elders stared at Wen Luqing with equal fervor—but their thoughts couldn't have been more different.
"A female cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root... If only she were in our Taiqing Sect. Pair her with Qin Changqing, and in just a few years, we'd have Immortal Spiritual Root disciples!"
"Immortal Spiritual Roots! This old man wishes he could snatch the girl away!"
The elders' faces twisted with envy and jealousy, but all they could do was glare helplessly.
Taixuan Sect had shone brightest in this grand competition. Two of the Foundation Establishment top ten were theirs: Qin Qipeng and Qin Qicheng.
They claimed three spots in the Qi Condensation top ten too: Qin Qiming, Qin Mengrou, and Qin Mengxue.
"Strange... Are all Qin-surnamed kids this talented these days? There are six Qin disciples across these rankings alone, all with 'Qi' or 'Meng' generation names. Any connection there...?"
Someone had spotted the pattern.
Liu Qinghui and the others' hearts jolted—they knew exactly what was up.
But these kids had been sent to the sects by the Qin family years ago. Recalling them now would only look suspicious.
Elder Cao Feng chuckled. "What's strange about it? The world's a big place—plenty of folks share surnames, and Qin's a major one."
"True enough... but something still feels off."
Suspicion had taken root. Closer scrutiny revealed more clues.
The published rankings featured other non-top-ten disciples surnamed Qin.
And these Qin kids... they all looked somewhat alike!
Could they all hail from one family?
Minds raced. Did this family have exceptional bloodline, churning out top-tier spiritual root seedlings?
Sects that noticed dispatched investigators on the sly.
A few days later, the leading higher-ups of the major sects received identical reports.
"Xianyang Mountain's Qin family..."
The Thunder Sword Sect elder's eyes gleamed, fingers drumming the table. "No way this is coincidence. Every standout in the top ten sects' trials is a heaven's proud son, yet multiple share a surname—even the same 'Qi' generation. Where there's smoke, there's fire. Once we're back, we investigate this Qin family thoroughly!"
The other sects reacted much the same, eyes locked on the Qin family. They'd probe deep once the trials ended.
The ten great sects jointly controlled three secret realms, tailored to Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core. Entry wasn't for just anyone—only the sect competition's top hundred qualified.
The Qingyuan Secret Realm was for Qi Condensation disciples.
The sects descended with their disciples at the edge of a barren desert.
"Elder, is this the Qingyuan Secret Realm? I don't see a thing," Qin Qiming asked, eyeing the desolate sands in confusion.
The leading elder smiled. "Patience—you'll see soon enough."
Moments later, each sect's leading elder shot from the group, unleashing treasures: flying swords, supple whips, staffs—all aglow with vibrant hues. They blasted the distant desert in unison.
Boom!
Under the disciples' stunned gazes, a colossal cyan barrier erupted from the barren sands, like an enormous bowl inverted over the entire expanse.
The elders poured spiritual power into it, wrenching open a passage, then bellowed as one: "In, now!"
The disciples snapped to, hurtling through on artifacts.
The passage was unstable—barely holding for Qi Condensation cultivators.
Qin Qiming dove in with his two sisters, figuring they'd team up against foes and cut the risks. But vertigo hit the instant they crossed. When it cleared, he was deep in a dense forest—utterly alone.
Unbeknownst to them, entrants were randomly scattered across the realm's corners. Teaming was impossible.
Jing Kingdom boasted not only the ten immortal sects but also four great demonic sects.
Amid the sect grand competition's buzz, the demonic sects wouldn't sit idle—they had to make waves.
Meanwhile, on the secret realm's far side, demonic disciples who'd gotten the tip gathered at the edge.
"We've cracked entry to the Qingyuan Secret Realm. This time, we slaughter every last so-called righteous disciple! Heh heh heh—wipe 'em out!"
A sinister man in gray robes cackled, eyes brimming with slaughterlust.
This was Elder Du Jing of Jing Kingdom's Six Desires Demonic Sect.
Behind him stood elders from Sword Demon Sect, Moon Demon Sect, and Ghost King Sect, trailed by four hundred Qi Condensation demonic disciples.
"Brother Du's spot on! We kill every top-hundred disciple from the ten sects. They're their precious darlings—exterminate these seedlings, sever their roots, and watch 'em crumble! Hahahaha!"
The Sword Demon Sect elder howled wildly; the others grinned ferociously.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Bloody auras roiled off the demonic disciples, faces fiendish, eyes alight with bloodthirst.
Suddenly, a streak of light streaked in—the scouting demonic disciple.
"All ten sects' disciples are inside!"
"Perfect!"
The four demonic elders rallied, prying open the passage with their arts. Demonic disciples poured in.
The ten great sects remained oblivious—a bloody purge targeting them was underway.