Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

"What's inside the tower?" another monster asked at that moment.

"The ancient tower contains the remnants of its guardian spirits," Crimson Flame Mountain Lord replied calmly. "But rest assured, they are not aggressive. Therefore, among the ten of you I chose, the highest cultivation level is only the ninth rank, and the human cultivators are only at the Yuan Dan realm."

"In this secret realm, the competition is not about cultivation level, but about intelligence and reaction time."

He smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and continued, "All ten of you are individuals I have carefully selected, people of quick wit and intelligence. I am very much looking forward to the surprises you will bring me."

"When can we enter the tower?" Gou An asked at the opportune moment.

"It is getting late, so let's all rest in this stone chamber," Lord Crimson Flame instructed. "I will return here tomorrow morning to open the ancient tower gate for everyone."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lord Chiyan flipped his wrist, and the storage ring shimmered with spiritual light, causing ten cloth storage bags to appear out of thin air and land on the ground.

"The bag contains spirit stones, spirit wine, and fresh demon beast meat," said Lord Crimson Flame Mountain. "Everyone should take good care of yourselves and recuperate. I hope that when we return tomorrow, everyone will be full of energy and vitality."

Having finished his explanation, Lord Chiyan Mountain turned and left the stone chamber.

Only ten people were left, who had been selected to participate in the secret realm tower challenge, looking at each other in bewilderment.

The other nine people had arrived here earlier than Gou An and were already familiar with each other, but Gou An was all alone and was still a stranger to the others.

An old goat demon with two horns on his head and a goat's beard stepped forward first, smiling gently: "Fellow Daoist, may I ask where you come from? To be chosen by the Mountain Lord, you must possess extraordinary abilities."

Gou An smiled modestly and replied truthfully, "I can't say I have any special skills; I just make a living by refining pills in the City of Ten Thousand Demons."

"My Daoist name is Qingmianzi, and I am not a cultivator from the City of Ten Thousand Demons." The old sheep demon nodded slightly and introduced himself: "I have been living in seclusion deep in the Demon Beast Mountain Range for many years. By chance, I met the Mountain Lord and was chosen to come here."

"My Daoist name is Gou Zhenren." Gou An returned the greeting with a cupped hand, then stepped forward one by one to exchange names with the remaining eight people and get to know each other.

After all, they would be entering the secret realm and challenging the tower together tomorrow, so they could be considered temporary companions.

Of these ten people, apart from the old sheep demon Qingmianzi.

There are also bald turtle spirits, sharp-nosed rat demons, crow spirits with all-black feathers, fox demons with a faint body odor, and snake demons with all-black scales.

The remaining three were all elderly humans, their eyes revealing shrewdness and worldliness.

The three were not local cultivators of the Ten Thousand Demon City, but were specially invited by Lord Chiyan Mountain from the human realm. They came from second- or third-rate sects, and were all sect elders and core members, with cultivation levels between the Void Core and the Yuan Core stages.

There was a barrier between the three human cultivators and the seven demon cultivators, who spontaneously separated themselves by a small distance, forming a circle.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and to get to know each other, everyone dispersed to rest.

The seven demons gathered together, sharing the spirit wine and devouring the beast meat.

The three men sat alone in a circle, chatting in hushed tones.

The storage bags distributed by the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord were very well-stocked, with twenty low-grade spirit stones in each bag, specifically for replenishing the consumed spiritual energy.

Spirit wine and animal meat were used to fill their stomachs and for relaxation.

The demons ate heartily and enjoyed themselves immensely, creating a lively atmosphere.

In contrast, the three human cultivators did not touch a drop of wine or meat. They simply took out spirit stones, placed them in front of them, closed their eyes, and meditated to regulate their breathing. The surroundings were completely quiet, which was in stark contrast to the demon race.

During the casual conversation, Gou An also learned about the origins of the other demon races.

Of the ten, only he came from the City of Ten Thousand Demons; the rest of the demons had long mingled within the territory of human cultivators.

The rat demon's story is the most legendary.

In his early years, he infiltrated a major human sect, stealing pills scattered from alchemy furnaces and secretly cultivating diligently.

If it hadn't been for its greedy act of stealing high-level pills and being discovered by the sect disciples, it would still be able to hide within the sect and develop peacefully.

After its whereabouts were exposed, it could only flee in panic and wander around the human territory for many years.

He committed a crime and was hunted down by human cultivators. When he was desperate, he was rescued by the subordinates of the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord, and thus became acquainted with the Mountain Lord.

As night deepened, the vast stone chamber fell into complete silence.

The six demons, intoxicated and dizzy, fell into a deep sleep on the spot.

The three cultivators remained seated, eyes closed, in deep meditation, focusing on their practice.

Only Gou An was wide awake. He got up in the middle of the night and carefully examined the entire stone chamber and the nine-story ancient pagoda standing in the center.

The first floor of the ancient pagoda features a giant stone door, its surface carved with intricate and delicate ancient patterns.

But when Gou An reached out to touch it, he realized that the door was just a stone relief, a single piece, and could not be pushed or pulled open at all.

He raised his hand and gently tapped the tower, producing a dull, heavy sound. The entire ancient tower seemed to be made of solid metal, making it impossible to explore its interior.

After several attempts to find nothing, Gou An headed towards the passage he had entered through.

Upon arriving at the cave entrance, they discovered that the passage they had come from had been completely sealed off by thick snow and ice.

If one were to rush out rashly, one would surely be frostbitten by the cold night air outside the cave.

Gou An was unwilling to risk his life, so he had no choice but to return to the stone chamber, find a corner to sit quietly and wait, and remained sleepless all night.

Since there was no sunlight in the stone chamber, Gou An closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, but kept counting in his mind.

Sure enough, around 7 a.m., Gou An heard a sound coming from the direction of the passage.

Upon hearing this, the other demons and human cultivators all opened their eyes.

A short while later, Lord Crimson Flame Mountain walked in.

He glanced at everyone and nodded with satisfaction: "Looks like you all rested well!"

"Next, I will open the entrance to the secret realm. It's up to you now."

After speaking, Lord Chiyan stepped forward and pressed one hand against the surface of the ancient pagoda.

As flames erupted from his palm, the intense heat instantly spread, engulfing the entire ancient tower.

After a brief period of burning, the flames were absorbed by the ancient tower.

The originally gray and dull surface of the ancient pagoda gradually began to emit a spiritual light, and at the same time, the patterns carved on the gate of the first floor of the pagoda also began to shine.

The light grew brighter and brighter, eventually forming a gate of light.

"Touch them one by one to enter the secret realm!" Lord Crimson Flame said, plopping down on a stone chair. "I'll wait for you all to come out here."

The three cultivators were the first to step forward.

As one person reached out and touched the portal, his figure instantly vanished from the stone chamber.

Then came the second, and the third.

After the three human cultivators had entered the secret realm, the seven demons stepped forward.

Gou An lagged behind, not intending to go in first.

After all, it's still uncertain whether this secret realm will bring fortune or misfortune, so there's no need to rush in.

Once the bald tortoise in front of him entered the secret realm, Gou An slowly reached out and touched the light gate.

The moment they touched, Gou An felt a powerful suction force that pulled him in.

After a moment of dizziness, Gou An opened his eyes again and found himself in an extremely spacious area.

It extends for tens of feet in both front and back, and its edges are like the walls of an ancient pagoda, as is the top.

The nine people who entered first have now gathered in the middle of the space, and they are clearly still unsure of what to do.