Chapter 30: Entering the Secret Realm, A Master of Swordsmanship.

The entrance to the secret realm is a massive vortex of spiritual energy, bound tightly by dense, chain-like runes designed to prevent the leakage of energy from within.

The three major guilds have gathered outside this vortex, with the three hundred initiates standing behind their respective high-ranking leaders. While the bigwigs engage in political maneuvering at the front, the newcomers size each other up—some eager for action, others solemn, and many visibly anxious.

"Look at that."

Su Yu follows the direction of He Shoucheng’s finger. At the front of the Sword Spirit Pavilion’s group, a young man carrying two sword cases is smiling at them with undisguised contempt. Beside him, a white-haired man makes a throat-slitting gesture.

"How arrogant. Does anyone recognize them?"

"That’s Lan Feiyu, the second-ranked initiate of the Sword Spirit Pavilion this year. He’s incredibly strong."

"So arrogant? We’ll make him pay soon enough."

As the group exchanges words, the suffocating tension of the impending challenge begins to ease.

They didn't have to wait long. After the guild leaders finished their instructions, the gates to the secret realm were opened, and everyone entered one by one, each holding a teleportation talisman.

Just then, Chu Xinyue’s voice echoed in Su Yu's ear:

"The secret realm was swept through last night, but it was only a rough harvest. It’s possible there are still hidden treasures, so keep a sharp eye out. Also, try to eliminate at least ten people and survive. Your performance will directly impact your internal guild evaluation and future benefits, including the subsidies you'll receive when you eventually join a cultivation sect."

"Understood."

Reaching the vortex, Su Yu activated his protective aura and leaped in. Instantly, he felt as if he were passing through a membrane, entering another space. His vision blurred, and he was transported from the bottom of the Yuan River to the top of a small hill.

"Huh? Not a fixed spawn point?"

He scanned his surroundings; he was completely alone. This meant his plan to team up with He Shoucheng was no longer feasible.

He looked up at the sky. It was blue, but the firmament was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, as if made of shattered glass—a sign that the realm’s space was unstable and on the verge of collapse. Looking down, he saw nothing but small hills, two to three hundred meters high, stretching in every direction with no visible signs of human presence.

He opened his communication interface and sent a message to He Shoucheng: "Where are you?"

"I don't know! I’m on a small hill, surrounded by identical ones. I have no idea where I am."

"Then how do we rendezvous?"

Before He Shoucheng could respond, Su Yu felt his scalp prickle. He whipped around just in time to see a streak of blue sword light flashing toward him. He immediately drew his sword, Yanyan, and struck with precision, its scorching white glow meeting the blue light with a sharp *clang*. Sparks showered as the two blades collided. The blue light faltered, and Su Yu’s white blade slid past, the two swords clashing with a series of crisp chimes until the blue blade was sent spiraling away with a mournful whine.

Only then did Su Yu spot the figure hiding in the dense jungle on a neighboring hill. The person was now frantically recalling his sword, looking stunned, and preparing to flee.

"Trying to run after an ambush?"

Su Yu soared into the air, Yanyan trailing behind him. With a quick flick, the blade circled the enemy, causing his protective treasure to shimmer violently. Realizing he couldn't outrun his opponent, the man acted decisively, raising his sword to parry. The next second, a force beyond his imagination sent his weapon flying.

"It's over!"

Yanyan’s light crisscrossed, shattering the protective treasure and piercing through the man's robes. Though he reacted quickly to activate his protective aura, it was merely a stay of execution. A single circle of sword light shattered the aura, and with one more turn, the man was finished.

"One head down."

Su Yu collected the loot orb that had condensed. He opened it to find only a mid-grade Origin Recovery Pill and a Great Teleportation Talisman.

"Bad luck."

Su Yu shook his head and stowed the items. Looking around, he realized he was in a region of rolling hills. Between the slopes were valleys filled with dense spiritual mist, where medicinal herbs grew in wild, tangled masses. Having been untended for countless years, the plants were a chaotic mess. Furthermore, there seemed to be no monsters in this realm—only insects.

Seeing no one around, Su Yu jumped into a valley to forage. Passing through the mist, he found a clear stream teeming with ordinary fish. However, he soon realized a problem: he didn't know how to identify most of these herbs.

"Well, that’s embarrassing."

He could tell which were herbs and which were weeds, but he had no idea what species they were. "Forget it. Better to go farm some kills."

He took to the air, gained altitude, and flew toward another hill. Soon, he spotted a stranger in a valley, busy picking herbs. He didn't know if the man belonged to the Sword Spirit Pavilion or the Thunder Eagle Society.

The man was alert and spotted Su Yu immediately. He snatched a string of red beads from his wrist and threw them. The beads expanded in the air, erupting into flames and transforming into flaming meteors the size of tables that rained down. He then brandished a fiery feather fan, sending a massive firebird with a ten-meter wingspan rushing toward Su Yu.

Su Yu ascended immediately, only to find the meteors adjusting their trajectory to track him.

"It has a lock-on feature!"

He gripped Yanyan, channeled his mana, and threw the blade. The sword light pierced the air, striking a meteor. "Taibai Light-Splitting Sword!" The sword’s radiance erupted, instantly splitting into thirty fierce sword auras that shot skyward.

*Clang, clang, clang...*

A series of explosions rang out as the meteors were deflected or shattered. When the auras exhausted themselves, four meteors remained. Su Yu pointed, and Yanyan met them head-on, sparks flying as they fell.

"Purple Origin Force!"

A massive purple hand surged up, slamming into the remaining meteors. It shattered two before dissipating.

"Taibai Sword Essence!"

He condensed the essence with his left hand and hurled it into the sky. *Boom!* The flames exploded. Su Yu made a cutting motion with his fingers, and the sword essence converged, shattering the last of the meteors.

But the firebird had already reached him. His protective aura’s defensive value plummeted by 3,000, then continued to drop by 1,000 per second. Ignoring the firebird, Su Yu activated his Light-Fixing Mirror. A beam of white light froze the opponent, Zhang Zhao, in place. Yanyan flashed, circling the man and cutting rapidly.

One strike, eight wounds; 2,500 damage per hit—a terrifying burst of 20,000 damage in one cycle. Before the first strike was even over, the man's protective treasure and robes were torn away. Though he desperately activated a secondary aura, it was futile. Before the second cycle ended, his head was sent flying.

"This thing is really useful."

Su Yu collected the loot, wiped the Light-Fixing Mirror with a breath, and tucked it away. He checked the spoils: a Heaven Thunder Bead, a piece of dragon scale material, and a low-grade Blood Lotus Pill.

"Damn it, nothing but junk."

But that was the nature of the drops; if the target had too much clutter in their storage, it was hard to get good items. After resting to recover his mana, Su Yu took flight again.

A minute later, he heard a familiar female voice: "Su Yu, over here."

He stopped and looked down to find Zhang Yunfei, He Shoucheng’s girlfriend, hiding in a jungle valley. He descended, asking curiously, "You haven't met up with He yet?"

She looked embarrassed. "I’m too afraid to go out."

"Do you want to stay here, or come with me?"

Zhang Yunfei hesitated. "I think I’ll stay hidden. I’m not counting on the contribution rewards anyway. I’ll just wait until most people are dead and then go pick some herbs."

"Fair enough."

Su Yu waved and took off. He flew at a leisurely speed, barely a thousand meters above the ground. He hadn't gone ten kilometers when he sensed something and stopped, turning his head sharply. "Sword Spirit Pavilion or Thunder Eagle Society?"

Two figures emerged. The leader was a handsome youth with two exquisite sword cases on his back. "I am Lan Feiyu of the Sword Spirit Pavilion, and I have come for your life!"

The man behind him smiled and stepped back, signaling for a duel. Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "What is your rank in the Sword Spirit Pavilion?"

"Modestly speaking, I ranked second in the last examination."

Su Yu glanced at the sword cases. "You practice the Flying Sword style?"

"And you?"

"Yes."

"Good."

The moment the words left his lips, Lan Feiyu’s shoulders shifted. A purple and a cyan sword light shot into the sky, transforming into two twenty-meter-long sword rainbows that surged toward him. Even before the blades arrived, the sharp killing intent was palpable.

"Excellent swords!"

Su Yu’s expression turned solemn. He didn't need to ask; the length of the rainbows confirmed these were Tier 6 peak-grade swords. Lan Feiyu’s foundation technique couldn't match Su Yu’s "Taibai Sword Scripture," which was boosted by his golden finger; the length must come from the swords themselves. These were high-quality, perhaps even rare-tier, swords—better than his own Yanyan. A pair of rare-tier swords was worth more than a typical Tier 7 treasure.

Yet, Su Yu remained calm. With a thought, Yanyan shot upward. Its superior speed allowed it to strike first. As the three swords collided, dazzling light erupted.

*Clang! Clang! Clang...*

A dense barrage of metallic strikes echoed as countless fragments of sword energy dissipated.

*Boom!*

A shrill vibration rang out, and all three swords were sent flying. Su Yu recalled his blade, channeling mana to nurture it, and asked in surprise, "You can control two swords at once?"

He had assumed they were a set, where one led and the other followed. But in the clash, he realized Lan Feiyu was controlling both independently—different angles, frequencies, and forces. It was a style he was unaccustomed to, which was why he hadn't been able to overwhelm his opponent despite his advantage in speed and strength.

Normally, one only had one sword slot before transcending the heavenly tribulation, but rare accessories could provide extra slots. Or, a set of swords could occupy a single slot regardless of how many blades were in it.

Lan Feiyu, for his part, was even more unsettled. His initial arrogance had vanished. "Your swordsmanship is stronger than I imagined. Have you reached the 'Mastery' stage?"

"I have!"

"I am no match for you," Lan Feiyu admitted. "I never thought the Qianyu Guild had a sword genius like you."

"You’re not bad yourself. Again!"

After refining their blades, Su Yu took the initiative. The white sword light streaked forward like a meteor.

"So fast!"

Lan Feiyu’s face was grim. The purple and cyan swords met the attack head-on, and the three blades became a blur of motion. Having gauged each other, both were now prepared. Su Yu’s Yanyan was no longer wild and sweeping, but precise and delicate. Lan Feiyu’s swords were like agile elves, flanking from left and right at different frequencies.

Realizing his raw power and speed were inferior, Lan Feiyu focused on subtle parries and deflection, managing to hold his ground. However, the gap in their foundation techniques meant that every strike Su Yu landed sent a shock through Lan Feiyu’s spiritual imprint on his swords.

At first, it was negligible, but as the clashes accumulated, the interference began to disrupt the fluidity of Lan Feiyu’s control. In a high-level duel, even a split-second delay is fatal.

As his swords grew sluggish, Lan Feiyu could no longer counterattack, forced into a purely defensive stance.

"No, I cannot lose."

He sent a telepathic message to the spectator, Leng Hong: "Move!"

Leng Hong hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering, "Received!"

That split-second of hesitation caused Lan Feiyu’s purple and cyan swords to falter. Su Yu sensed the opening instantly, driving his sword down with massive force. The purple blade was knocked askew, and Yanyan followed up, shattering the purple blade’s formation with a flurry of strikes.

"Now!"

Just as Su Yu prepared to unleash his finishing move, he sensed a shift. He looked to the side to see Leng Hong holding a silver gourd. With a blast of vital energy, the gourd expanded, and a silver vortex opened at its mouth. A torrent of silver light poured out, rushing toward Su Yu.