Mortal: Starting by joining the Falling Cloud Sect

the next day.

Having had a comfortable night's rest, Zhou Qing was full of energy and headed to the council hall.

After listening to the encouragement and instruction from Sect Leader Wei Yiming, the group of ten, led by Elder Xin and Elder Feng, left the sect aboard the Azure Light Eagle.

This exotic Azure Eagle is the sect's guardian spirit beast of the Luoyun Sect. It is already a level five demon beast and can change its size. It is a great treasure of the Luoyun Sect.

Whenever the three sects gather for an event, the sect will send out its members.

Firstly, it would save face, and secondly, it would spare lower-ranking disciples the trouble of traveling.

After the initial excitement of "going on the expedition" subsided, some disciples gathered in twos and threes, clearly intending to form teams to explore the Yunmeng Secret Realm.

However, this resulted in two people being left alone.

One is Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing had only been a disciple for a short time and rarely went out or socialized. He could count the number of disciples he knew on one hand, so he had no basis for cooperation with them.

Moreover, these people were wary of Zhou Qing's strength and did not want to invite him, otherwise they would not have the confidence to "steal" credit.

The other one is Xiang Zhili, who goes by the alias "Li Shouli".

Nobody wants to work with an old man who looks like a burden.

The speed of the Azure Eagle was astonishing. With a flap of its wings, it had already flown dozens of miles away, leaving Zhou Qing speechless.

Compared to the speed of the Inkscale Boat he had purchased at great expense, his Inkscale Boat was instantly reduced to dust.

"If I could get my hands on a beast like this, my travel speed would definitely increase several times over, and riding it would be quite a dashing experience!" Sitting on the eagle's back, looking at the mountains and rivers rushing past below, Zhou Qing couldn't help but daydream.

Several hours later, Zhou Qing and the others were taken to the outside of a secluded valley.

Zhou Qing and the others jumped off the Azure Light Eagle and followed the two Core Formation elders, walking along a bluestone path into the valley.

At the end of the path, Zhou Qing saw a small gray stone temple.

Zhou Qing followed the two elders into the hall and found that there were already dozens of people inside, including disciples of the Hundred Crafts Academy and the Ancient Sword Sect, as well as their team leaders.

"Brother Feng, you've arrived a bit late this time, keeping Jiang and the two elders of the Hundred Crafts Academy waiting for quite a while." In the Ancient Sword Sect, a short old man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties said half-jokingly when he saw the group from the Falling Cloud Sect enter.

Elder Feng and Elder Xin first greeted the other Core Formation elders politely before replying, "The journey is a bit long, and we can't keep up with your speed."

The short old man was about to speak again when he was interrupted by an elder from the Hundred Crafts Courtyard, who smoothed things over.

"Now that all three sects have arrived, let's work together to open the secret realm as soon as possible and let these thirty disciples go in first. We can talk about the rest later."

Upon hearing this, the short old man's eyes darted around, and he thought to himself, "The Hundred Crafts Courtyard has changed its ways this time. Why are they so eager to enter the secret realm?"

However, he didn't reveal anything, just smiled and said "okay", then gestured to another elder and took the lead into the depths of the hall, with the disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect following behind.

Elder Feng was pleased with this, and then, together with Elder Xin, led Zhou Qing and the others into the depths of the hall.

The Hundred Treasures Courtyard was last.

After walking through a dark and deep passageway, Zhou Qing saw a circular magic circle.

The elders and disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect stood in the circular magic circle. The short old man emitted several beams of red light, and then the spirit stones embedded around the magic circle lit up.

Immediately afterwards, the circular magic circle emitted a beam of white light. After the light dissipated, the dozen or so people disappeared into the magic circle.

"It's a teleportation array. It seems the three sects of Yunmeng have done a good job protecting the location of this secret realm. This way, even those who have personally visited the Yunmeng Secret Realm won't know its true location."

Through the teleportation array, Zhou Qing and the others were taken to a plain surrounded by high mountains.

After some probing, the elders of the three sects discovered that the secret realm was not yet ready to be opened.

The elders returned to their respective groups and instructed the sect disciples to sit cross-legged and wait.

While sitting cross-legged and waiting, Zhou Qing secretly observed the disciples of the other two factions.

These disciples, like Zhou Qing, all stood out from the sect through layers of competitions, and their strength is undoubtedly top-notch. If you really encounter them, they will surely be very difficult to deal with.

After a while, Zhou Qing and the others were called up by the elders again. It seemed that it was time to enter the Yunmeng Secret Realm.

"The three sects of Yunmeng are of one mind and share the same roots. You are all outstanding members of your respective sects, therefore, during this trip to the Yunmeng Secret Realm, infighting is strictly prohibited. I will later place a spiritual seal on your arms. If you entertain any thoughts of murder to silence witnesses, we will immediately sense it, and once discovered, we will execute you without mercy!"

After the short old man finished speaking, he took out a bell from his sleeve and shook it gently. Dozens of spiritual lights split out from the bell and attached themselves to the arms of the three disciples, eventually transforming into a spiritual seal.

After the warning was given, an old man with a white beard from the Hundred Crafts Academy came out, took out a round magic treasure, held it on his left hand, and then cast a spell on it with his right hand.

The disc-shaped magical artifact began to spin rapidly and then hovered in the air.

Upon seeing this, the other elders spontaneously leaped up and formed a semi-circle around the disc-shaped magical artifact.

Then each of them took out their most prized magical treasures. The treasures shone brightly, and at the same time, a beam of spiritual light was emitted and gathered on the disc-shaped magical treasure.

Then the disc-shaped magical artifact spun rapidly, its surface slowly facing a void in front of it, before suddenly shooting out a beam of light as thick as a thigh.

Immediately afterwards, a bright red light shone in the void, and an enormous restriction appeared before everyone's eyes, seemingly boundless.

Upon seeing the restriction, the six elders continuously cast spells on their respective magical artifacts, causing the beam of light to expand rapidly. The restriction gradually became unable to withstand the pressure and was breached.

"Quickly, go in immediately. Remember, you must return in five days!"

The disciples of the three sects dared not delay and rushed into the secret realm through the gap in the restriction.

The Hundred Crafts Academy came first, the Ancient Sword Sect second, and the Falling Cloud Sect last.

As his fellow disciples disappeared one by one from his sight, Zhou Qing took a deep breath, soared into the air, and entered the secret realm.

Seeing that all the disciples had entered the secret realm, the three sect elders simultaneously put away their magic weapons and landed on the ground, and the gap in the restriction gradually closed up.

These elders need to wait here for five days before breaking through the restrictions again to guide the disciples of the three sects out of the secret realm.

"I wonder what kind of adventures these disciples will encounter in the secret realm this time, and what good things they will find." An elder of the Hundred Crafts Academy said, "I heard that last time, the disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect obtained a piece of turmeric essence in there. It was of excellent quality and surpassed the other two sects."

"Opportunities are fleeting and unpredictable. The disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect are fortunate enough to encounter them, which has little to do with the sect itself." Another white-robed elder from the Ancient Sword Sect, with a calm and composed personality, immediately spoke humbly after hearing the hidden meaning in the words of Elder Baiqiao.

However, after hearing this, the short old man glanced at the white-robed elder of the Ancient Sword Sect and said in a deep voice, "The opportunity is there, but you have to fight for it to get it. The disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect have always been fearless and dare to speak out and strive for the first place, so naturally they can firmly grasp the opportunity in their hands."

The white-robed elder frowned slightly. He knew that the short old man always took pride in the Ancient Sword Sect and always considered himself the leader of the three sects of Yunmeng when talking with the other two sects. But he had never seen him so ostentatious before.

Elder Baiqiao was not annoyed by this, and said, "Brother Jiang is right. Why don't we make a bet on whose disciple will bring out the most valuable treasure this time? This way, we can compare the quality of the disciples from each sect and add some interest to this boring journey to the secret realm."

"A bet? What's the stake?" the short old man asked, following up on the question.

"Each faction selects its best item, and the winner takes it all!" Elder Baiqiao, seeing the short old man's interest piqued, was secretly delighted and quickly said.

"Hmm..." The short old man fell into deep thought, seemingly considering it seriously, and after a long while, he nodded in agreement. "However, the three sects of Yunmeng are closely connected. If we're going to gamble, all three sects should gamble together!"

Elder Feng and Elder Xin were initially enjoying the conversation, but when they heard that their Luoyun Sect would also be involved in this bet, they became unhappy.

However, given the greater good and the deep friendship among the three factions, this was merely a bet played as a game. If Zhen Yanren refused, it would damage the harmony.

"Each of the three factions will choose one item. When the time comes, we'll just pick one of lower value and let the two factions fight over it." Elders Feng and Xin exchanged a few words and agreed after discussing it.

Thus, the three wagers were settled, and the elders of the three factions each chose a place to meditate and rest.

"Senior Brother Jiang, Fu Yang from Baiqiao Academy suddenly proposed this bet, which means that Baiqiao Academy must have a way to find the ancient cultivator's cave in the secret realm. How can you accept this bet so easily? Losing the treasure is a small matter. If we really lose, what will happen to our reputation when the news gets back to the sect?" The white-robed elder of the Ancient Sword Sect secretly transmitted his voice to the short old man.

"Junior Brother Gu, how could I not know Fu Yang's little scheme? I already had a feeling from the moment he entered the hall and started talking to me about the secret realm. That's why I added an extra tracking mark to the spiritual seal just now. If the disciples of Baiqiao Academy can really find that cave, then the disciples I sent can catch them off guard and take advantage of the situation."

With disciples from both factions present at the same time, who will ultimately obtain the treasure will depend on whose disciples are stronger. I have great confidence in the disciples of our Ancient Sword Sect.

The short old man replied slowly, then revealed a knowing smile.

The white-robed elder felt reassured and said no more.

Indeed, this is true. Judging from the annual Sword Trials, once the disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect have achieved a certain level of cultivation, they often have a significant advantage in battles against cultivators of the same level due to their superior offensive capabilities as sword cultivators.