Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

"Miss Leng, thank you for your help this time. As agreed, we will each receive half, so you can keep it."

Leng Ning Shuang accepted the wooden plaque without hesitation, nodded, and said, "It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Thus, the ownership of all eight hostage tokens in the second trial, the "Trial of the Heart in the Fog," has been settled.

Shenwu Academy, with a total of 2.5 points, won the championship without any suspense.

Taixu Academy has a total of 2 points.

Tian Ce Academy also scored 2 points.

Wanxiang Academy finished with a score of 1.5, making it the bottom-ranked school.

The mission was over, and the four teams withdrew from the Misty Forest and returned to the starting point.

Dean Su announced the rankings for the second round in front of everyone. Everyone already knew the results and had little expectation. However, they all raised questions about the vine demon's self-destruction and Li Yuan's breakthrough at the last minute.

After all, this footage was affected and no one saw it, which is really strange.

"This valley vine demon, though it has cultivated for a thousand years, is not stable because its demon core was injured in its early years."

Dean Su argued confidently, "This time, being forced into a desperate situation by Li Yuan and Leng Ningshuang, triggering the self-destruction, was actually a case of outward strength but inward weakness, with its power greatly reduced."

He stroked his beard and smiled at Li Yuan: "In addition, the knife in Li Yuan's hand can absorb some of the demonic power, and Leng Ning Shuang protected the hostage, which is why they were able to escape safely."

"As for Li Yuan's realm, he should have broken through long ago. He had been suppressing it all along. With this enlightenment, he broke through in one fell swoop. It was not a fluke, but the result of his accumulated strength."

This explanation was half true and half false, downplaying the power of the vine demon while explaining the reason for Li Yuan's breakthrough.

Whether people agree or not, there's no way to verify it; they can only accept this official explanation.

Then, Dean Su changed the subject: "The second stage is now over. Each department should rest for three days to recover."

"Three days later, we will gather at the back mountain to begin the third trial, the quest to find the truth in the secret realm. I earnestly hope that all students will seize this last opportunity and do their utmost to bring glory to the academy."

"Seeking Truth in Hidden Realms"

A burning light ignited in the eyes of the students from the four academies; that was the true place of opportunity, and the final battlefield.

For the next three days, Shenwu Academy was bustling with visitors, who came to offer congratulations and inquire about news.

Li Yuan, in particular, is the focus of attention as a double champion and a prodigy who broke through on the spot.

However, citing the need to consolidate his cultivation and prepare for the battle in the secret realm, he politely declined all visits and closed his doors to guests.

That night, Li Yuan came to Mr. Mo's courtyard alone.

In the courtyard, Mr. Mo was still drinking alone at the stone table. Li Yuan presented the nameless sword with both hands and explained in detail the changes that had occurred after the sword absorbed demonic power.

"Let me see."

Mr. Mo took the nameless knife, his fingers slowly tracing the blade, remaining silent for a long time.

"Sir, what is the origin of this knife...?" Li Yuan asked tentatively.

"The origin of this sword is probably even more ancient than you imagine," Mr. Mo said slowly. "It is said that it was brought back from an ancient battlefield by the first dean of our Divine Martial Arts Academy. Even he didn't recognize the runes on it."

The first dean of Shenwu Academy was said to be Li Bi, the imperial advisor of that time, who possessed unfathomable abilities. It is rumored that he had already ascended to immortality. The fact that even he did not recognize the runes shows how ancient they were.

"I suspect that the vine demon's demonic power happened to activate the wood-related part of it."

"If I am not mistaken, there is also the sharpness of metal, the flexibility of water, the ferocity of fire, and the weight of earth."

"You mean... the power of the Five Elements Demons?" Li Yuan's heart stirred.

"Not bad." Mr. Mo nodded. "This sword may need to draw upon the demonic power of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—to awaken its full power."

"The vine spirit's wood spirit was a coincidence. If there are opportunities in the future, you can keep an eye out for it. But remember, you must not force it, and you must not take any risks for it."

"I understand." Li Yuan nodded solemnly, carefully putting away the nameless sword. The five elements of demonic power? As long as he has a direction, he will gather them all one day.

"Now that you have broken through delusion, you should know that the key to this state lies in seeing through it." Mr. Mo changed the subject and began to instruct Li Yuan, "Ordinary illusions are easy to break through, but illusions are everywhere in the world. You need to constantly discern your true nature and not be misled by external things."

"Yes!" Li Yuan solemnly accepted the instruction.

He knew that what Mr. Mo said was true; he had relied too much on the help of the Bronze Palace, and this might become the root of his inner demons in the future.

For the next two days, Li Yuan stayed indoors, focusing on consolidating his cultivation at the Breaking Illusion Realm under Mr. Mo's guidance.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning, the four teams gathered at the back of the mountain, and Su Wenyuan announced loudly.

"The time has come. Open the Lesser Mystic Heaven Secret Realm!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he and the experts from the other three academies raised their hands simultaneously, and four powerful streams of magic power shot out from their hands and poured into the giant teleportation array in the center.

Om-!

The formation was instantly activated, bursting forth with dazzling multicolored light. Countless mysterious runes lit up from the ground, spiraling upwards to form a giant gate of light.

"The secret realm has been opened and will remain open for seven days. You may enter and exit using your identity jade tokens, but once you crush the jade token, it will be considered as an exit."

"Now, enter the secret realm!"

"Walk!"

The four captains simultaneously gave a low shout, leading their team members to transform into streaks of light and rush into the multicolored light gate without hesitation, their figures instantly swallowed up.

A flash of light, and when Li Yuan felt his feet firmly planted on solid ground again, he found himself in a completely different world.

As far as the eye could see, there was an endless wasteland. The sky was an eerie dark yellow, as if it were forever shrouded in sand and dust, with no sun or moon in sight, only a hazy light falling.

Beneath my feet lay scorching golden sand, stretching to the horizon, endless dunes, radiating heat.

"Desert?" Yu Ling'er blinked in surprise and poked the sand under her feet with her short stick.

Chu Yunhe frowned and looked up at the dark yellow sky: "The spiritual energy is much denser than outside, but its nature is hot and violent, so it's not suitable to stay for long."

"And there are restrictions...flight will probably be affected." He tried to gather his qi and ride the wind, but found that it consumed a lot of mana.

Shen Lian didn't speak. He squatted down, grabbed a handful of sand, rubbed it between his fingertips, and then smelled it, carefully examining the direction of the sand dunes.

"His spiritual sense has also been suppressed," Li Yuan said in a deep voice. He immediately released his spiritual sense to explore and found that the result was not good.

"Captain, what should we do now?" Yu Ling'er looked at Li Yuan. Now, everyone was used to following his orders.

Li Yuan did not answer. He closed his eyes again to sense the surroundings. After a moment, he opened his eyes and pointed south.

"The spiritual energy fluctuations are most active in this direction, which is likely the central area of ​​the secret realm."

He turned to Shen Lian and said, "Shen Lian, you are familiar with the desert environment. From now on, you will be in charge of the temporary command."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Shen Lian.

A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Lian's eyes. He looked up and, seeing no doubt in anyone's eyes, nodded: "Alright!"

He stopped wasting words and quickly got to the point: "The sand here is loose, and the direction of the dunes indicates that there is a northwest wind all year round. Combining the traces of wind and sand, the south is roughly this way, which matches the captain's feeling."

"When walking in the desert, the worst thing you can do is to be impatient. You need to conserve your energy at all times, pay attention to sun protection, avoid sandstorms, and look for water sources at any time."