Very soon, the three days passed in the blink of an eye.
It was misty in the mountains in the early morning, and Chen Jingzhai had already left Tianyahai Pavilion.
He was not wearing the robe of Hongluan Peak but was clad in the black robe that was a spirit item from Daoxuan Peak.
With the Five Bamboo Sword nurtured in his core, he walked confidently forward with both hands free from carrying anything.
His black hair was tied back by a piece of white jade, with a small bag hung around his waist. His appearance was impeccable and efficient.
Chen Jingzhai took it easy and slowly as he came to the front of Deacon Hall.
The other nine inner disciples had already gathered there.
Together with the others, Cui Chengen, a Golden Core Sage himself, was looking at Chen Jingzhai.
Their sights were so powerful that it was enough to oppress one’s spirit and cause a sense of guilt for no apparent reason.
However, Chen Jingzhai’s expression remained indifferent, and his eyes seemed to have taken in everything. He didn’t care in the least bit.
He walked all the way until he was in front of Sage Cui.
“Cui Chengen greets Little Master-Uncle!” Sage Cui, who was wearing a black robe, saluted with one hand.
“No need to be formal,” Chen Jingzhai said with a smile. “I hope I’m not too late!”
“Just on time!” Sage Cui laughed. “Dare I ask Master-Uncle, are we ready to go now?”
“Let’s go!” Chen Jingzhai nodded, paying no attention to the nine inner disciples.
Sage Cui didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. Then, as he flicked his sleeve, a piece of white jade flew out from it.
The piece of white jade was elongated and shaped like a brick. Or rather, more like a bamboo slip, exuding a faint blue light.
After the jade flew out, it quickly expanded until it was about a hundred feet long and floating in the air.
“Master-Uncle, please!” Sage Cui asked respectfully.
“Excuse me!” Chen Jingzhai nodded as he took a step. Instantly, he appeared on the white jade.
Among the nine, some of them had a slight change in expression, while others remained inscrutable.
Sage Cui’s eyes lit up a bit as he said to them, “Hurry up!”
Only then did they hop up onto the white jade and stand not far from Chen Jingzhai.
Watching this, Sage Cui secretly shook his head.
He made a seal with his hand that hit the white jade across the air. Instantly, he, too, appeared on the white jade.
A beam of blue light spread out, taking everyone in a stream of light, and then disappeared.
Luanyun Mountain Range was like a giant sleeping dragon, lying in the southeast of Pulao Kingdom.
Because it was guarded by formation, all kinds of spirit lights intermingled, obscuring its true appearance.
But today was a rare occasion when the formation was to be lifted. The formation stopped functioning, and it was like clouds drifting apart.
The true appearance of Luanyun Mountain Range was slowly being revealed.
The blue light wrapped around the white jade, and soon, they came to Feiliu Valley in the depths of Luanyun Mountain Range.
Feiliu Valley was a valley with triple waterfalls.
In the valley, the water in the pools was crystal clear, the trees were lush, and there were wondrous hidden landscapes.
The triple waterfalls were stacked one on top of the other. Under the scorching sun, a rainbow bridge appeared.
The blue streamer dissipated in mid-air as Chen Jingzhai and everyone else landed on a giant boulder in the valley.
At that time, many people had arrived in the valley as well.
They gathered on either side of Feiliu Valley in groups of twos and threes.
Or they were standing on rocks or perched on the tops of trees.
Every one of them stood with an impressive demeanor; they were all elites from the clan.
Cui Chengen stood next to Chen Jingzhai and introduced them through voice transmission.
Aside from the three major sword schools, the rest of the main branches also dispatched their inner disciples.
All those in the lead were Golden Core Sages.
They saluted Chen Jingzhai one after another. In return, Chen Jingzhai responded with a smile.
As for the inner disciples, Chen Jingzhai didn’t care much about their insolence.
This was a situation Chen Jingzhai had already expected.
His status was determined by Headmaster Fuyun and recognized by everyone above the level of Golden Core Sage.
Even though they were unhappy with the situation, they would not show it outwardly.
Even though all the Foundational disciples were part of the clan, the cultivation of their temperament was not comparable.
“Everyone is here!”
In mid-air, the firelight dissipated, and Elder Qin stood in the void, wearing a blue robe.
He surveyed in all directions and said, “The secret zone will appear in another ten minutes. At that time, I’ll open the door to the secret zone. You should make good use of your time and hurry. You must come out within 100 days.”
“After some calculation, this secret zone is most likely the remnant of a cave residence. Monsters and spirits may appear. Your mission is very simple—try your best to bring out resources Grade 2 or above.”
“All the Golden Core Sages should begin collecting the storage bags from the disciples and distributing the storage bags from the clan as well as the transportation slips. But remember, exercise extreme caution when inside the secret zone!”
After he finished speaking, he went to the very top of the waterfall in a flash.
He was standing in the water streams, silently watching all the major branches execute his instructions.
Quietly, they waited for the best time to proceed.
First, all the Golden Core Sages saluted Elder Qin, then began collecting the storage bags.
The usual MO of the Foundational Cultivators had nowhere to hide in front of the likes of the Golden Core Sages.
Therefore, none of the disciples thought of cheating or playing any other tricks, and they were prepared.
On the giant boulder, Chen Jingzhai handed his storage bag to Sage Cui.
From his previous talks with Zeng Wangbei, he knew that this was the standard procedure before entering.
Therefore, he was not surprised.
There was nothing precious in his storage bag anyway.
“Little Master-Uncle, remember that the use of treasures is strictly forbidden in the secret zone,” Sage Cui said through voice transmission. “The teleportation slip will be affected by the treasures, and you will be teleported out of the secret zone immediately.”
“Got it!” Chen Jingzhai replied.
The Foundational disciples intended for him to make a fool of himself.
The only way to do that was to force him out of the secret zone before his time was up.
Imagine if everyone entered the secret zone simultaneously, and Chen Jingzhai left the secret zone the earliest.
What would everyone think about that?
They would think that his strength was not what it purported to be, and he would lose face.
Not only would it be shameful, but Chen Jingzhai’s authority as Little Master-Uncle would be lost.
After that, he would never be able to raise his head in front of the Foundational disciples.
This had way more serious consequences than simply defeating Chen Jingzhai.
Since Chen Jingzhai was already aware in advance, he would not give them any opportunities to do so.
After receiving the storage bag and the transportation slip, Chen Jingzhai waited quietly like everyone else.
Soon, ten minutes had passed.
Above the pool in Feiliu Valley, a bright light began to emerge in front of the waterfalls.
Elder Qin’s eyes lit up slightly as if a stream of fire had flashed.
The water under his feet exploded into a splash of waves, and his entire person leaped out into thin air.
A small sun appeared from his fist, and it hit the clear light right on target, like a falling meteorite.
The harsh sound of the explosion began to spread.
Under everyone’s gaze, the clear light shrank, and then the firelight emerged.
A flaming ring expanded from the size of a fist to the height of a man.
The flaming ring slowly squeezed the clear light until it became difficult to see with the naked eye.
At this point, the flaming ring was about the height of two men and the width of one person.
“Hurry up and enter!” Elder Qin said in a deep voice, with his hands folded behind his back.
Chen Jingzhai was the first to react. His robe fluttered with a gust as his entire person shot out from the giant boulder instantly.
Even the disciple of Lijian Peak, who was closest to him, didn’t see what he did clearly.
Vaguely, they saw two wings of fire before Chen Jingzhai simply vanished.
After that, they dashed into the secret zone one after another, not wanting to be outdone.
“Not bad!” Seeing this, Elder Qin, though expressionless, had a smile in his eyes.
Only the Golden Core Sages could see the pair of wings that had appeared behind Chen Jingzhai moments ago.
That was a spell recorded in the Fire Raven Burning Sky Celestial Code: The Wings of Brahma.
In reality, it was a pair of wings from the fire raven, a spell that belonged to the category of a flight-assisting spell.
The most important thing was not that Chen Jingzhai had successfully cast this highly difficult spell.
But that when Chen Jingzhai performed this spell, it looked like nothing. It felt natural and with great ease.
Even Sage Cui, who was right next to Chen Jingzhai, was not immediately aware of it.
His keen perception of essence power, and the total mastery he had over spiritual power, were truly superb.
This was something that was truly rare.
Elder Qin had the unique qualification of being both the Nascent Zhenjun and a cultivator of the Fire Path, so he was most sensitive to such spells.
But even he was amazed, which demonstrated just how fantastic Chen Jingzhai’s spell was.
However, this spell was cast just in time and seized the first opportunity.
Whether Chen Jingzhai could stay in the secret zone was still an unknown.
Among the disciples who entered the secret zone this time, probably over half of them were aiming to challenge Chen Jingzhai.
It all depended on how long Chen Jingzhai could last inside!
