Chapter 2518

The City Lord of Xingyue City held up a wristband. "This is a counter. It records your collection of medicinal herbs, your kills of spirit beasts, and your kills of other people. You will receive one when you register with your sect."

She continued, "Place every herb you collect into the band. Do the same for every spirit beast you kill. For killing a person, simply touch your band against theirs. You will instantly see their score and their life status."

The City Lord smiled reassuringly. "Do not worry. You enter the secret realm as spiritual bodies. You cannot truly die. If you are killed, you will simply exit the realm and remain alive in the real world. There is no need for fear."

Those who had experienced this before listened with blank expressions. However, the disciples participating in the Tianyun Competition for the first time looked lucky and excited. Zhu Yanyi sighed softly.

Those who have never been on a real battlefield do not understand the terror of being killed. Although it is called a competition, killing is allowed within the spiritual secret realm. The fear of death lingers for a long time. Zhu Yanyi addressed all the disciples: "Protecting yourself is the most important thing in the secret realm. Do not think that because it is a spiritual world, being killed is harmless. Killing or being killed is terrifying. It is a test of your psychology. But I believe, it is better to kill than to be killed."

"We remember, Sect Master." The ten disciples’ faces turned very serious.

"In this first round, each sect must send ten people into the secret realm. You may have a sect leader or elders leading the team, or it can be purely disciples. Any combination is fine, but the number must be ten. Each person starts with ten points. This means each team has a base score of one hundred points. If you lose all these points, you are eliminated."

The City Lord spoke cheerfully, but his words carried an unspoken melancholy. He had also participated in the Tianyun Competition and knew the pain within the secret realm. He felt regretful. Although the secret realm does not cause physical death, it can cause mental breakdown.

She hoped that those who emerged would understand that dying in the secret realm was not the true pain. The true pain was the shadow of being killed, which would haunt them for a long time. Only by breaking through this shadow could their cultivation advance. If they could not break through, they would eventually disappear.

Disappearing meant entering reincarnation.

The City Lord knew this, but he could not say it. Even if he did, no one would believe him at this moment. Therefore, it was impossible to reveal the truth.

At the Azure Sovereign Sect, Zhu Yanyi looked at the ten disciples. "I originally wanted an elder to lead you. But then I thought, this is a rare experience for you. It is better to let you go on your own than to have us guide you. Cui Wan."

Cui Wan stepped forward. "Master."

Zhu Yanyi looked at Cui Wan with gentle eyes. "Cui Wan, this is your first real mission as the eldest senior sister. You will command in the secret realm. Remember, protecting yourselves is the priority. No matter the situation, safety comes first."

"Yes." Cui Wan replied. "Please rest assured, Master. I will take care of my junior brothers and sisters."

Zhu Yanyi then looked at the other nine disciples. "This time, let me see what you have learned. Remember, do not act recklessly. Use your brains instead of brute force. We are medicine and pill cultivators. Use our specialties to deal with others. Do you understand?"

Her words implied that if someone annoyed them, they could simply use poison. Yan Aohan and others nearby heard this and smiled.

"Yes." Cui Wan and the other nine disciples understood and smiled slightly.

Zhu Yanyi checked the time. "Go." She then said to Hong Lian, "Hong Lian, take them to handle the procedures and send them into the arena. Wait outside until they come out."

"Yes." Hong Lian agreed.

Zhu Yanyi waved her hand, and Hong Lian led them away.

Hong Lian took Cui Wan and the others to register, then sent them into the designated area. After about three incense sticks’ worth of time, the City Lord of Xingyue City announced, "The first round begins."

A beam of light fell from the sky, covering the people in the specific area. To those outside, the people in the designated area disappeared, having entered the secret realm directly.

People outside could see everything happening in the secret realm through pre-made water screens.

Cui Wan led her nine junior brothers and sisters into the secret realm. She found they were in a desert.

"Eldest Senior Sister, this is a desert. It is unlikely to find herbs here," Disciple Wang Shanqiang said.

Cui Wan nodded. "There may be no plant herbs, but there are insect herbs. For example, scorpions, centipedes, sand rats, and sand snakes. There are also specific plants in the desert. Let’s choose a direction and move. It is better than standing here."

Disciple Gong Jue agreed. "Eldest Senior Sister is right. Let’s determine a direction. Eldest Senior Sister, I just calculated. Based on our location, we should go west. This place is a desert, and the west represents fire. The clash of two dry elements can help us escape."

Gong Jue was also an outstanding direct disciple. Among the three courses of medicine, pills, and cultivation, he excelled most in pill refining. Additionally, he was skilled in divination. In the Azure Sovereign Sect, his divination arts were the best.

Cui Wan nodded slightly. "In that case, let’s go west. Junior Brother Gong, you lead the way."

Cui Wan addressed the other disciples. "Junior brothers and sisters, the Sect Master trusts us to choose our own path. First, we must unite and trust each other. We must protect one another. Since ten of us entered, we must all leave safely. We must also strive for good results. Do you have confidence?"

"Yes." The other nine shouted.

Cui Wan smiled, satisfied. She showed the demeanor of an eldest senior sister. "Good. Let’s set off. Junior Brother Gong leads in front. Junior Brother Yun Ling and Junior Sister Chen Xiang flank on the left and right. I will cover the rear. The other junior brothers and sisters stay in the middle. Junior Brother Shanqiang, take care of the others in the middle. Let’s go."