Time ticked away.
The skies inside the secret realm had begun to darken, signaling the end of the Wind Cloud Competition. A low hum vibrated through the air—an invisible force preparing to retract every participant. Only three hours remained, and every cultivator left knew: now was the time to make their final move.
[Total Orb Fragments: 235]
Most would retreat and wait. I wasn't most.
I moved swiftly through the dense forests, mountains, and dried riverbeds of the realm. My goal was clear—find the other competitors and take their fragments.
After thirty minutes, I found two of them. They were fighting over a orb Fragments.
One of them was a tall woman with fiery red hair, wielding a flame whip, her cultivation Core Formation – 3rd Layer. The other was a muscular youth with a stone hammer, Core Formation – 2nd Layer.
I stayed in the shadows, waiting for my moment. They fought ferociously, unaware of my presence.
The woman eventually burned the hammer-wielder into unconsciousness and staggered to the orb.
That's when I struck.
"Earth Seal – Five Hand Palm!"
The five palms rained down. She blocked the first, dodged the second—but the third and fourth caught her off guard and crushed her to the ground.
I appeared before her, sword drawn. Her eyes widened.
"Who—?!"
Slash!
I knocked her out, killed her.
Ding
You killed Core Formation - 3rd Layer Cultivator – XP Gained: 3120
[Orb Fragments +32]
Ding
Current XP: 12277
I now had 267 Orb Fragments, and I knew it put me near the top. But I wasn't done.
Another hour passed. I faced two more cultivators. One tried to run—I used Inferno Slash to stop him. Another surrendered and gave me his orbs without a fight.
[Orb Fragments +45]
[Orb Fragments +28]
Then came the announcement.
Boom!
A spiritual bell rang across the secret realm.
"Time's up. All participants will now be returned to Wind Cloud City."
A bright light enveloped me, and I was pulled out of the realm.
I opened my eyes to a grand arena, filled with thousands of spectators.
City Lord Jun Ji stood at the center, a gentle smile on his weathered face.
"Welcome back, all participants," he said. "And congratulations to those who survived the Secret Realm."
A massive display appeared in the sky, showing the top rankings.
1st Place – Zhen Huan – 340 Orb Points
2nd Place – Feng Xuan – 297 Orb Points
3rd Place – Mu Lingyao – 284 Orb Points
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
"Who's Zhen Huan?"
"A dark horse?"
"Never heard of him…"
City Lord Jun Ji raised his hand.
"The top three will be granted entrance to the Wind Cloud Special Cultivation Grounds, a place where experts are born."
He turned to face me.
"And as for our first-place winner… Zhen Huan, please step forward."
I walked slowly toward him, feeling thousands of eyes lock onto me.
"You not only survived but dominated cultivators far beyond your level," Jun Ji said. "May I ask—how did you achieve such a feat?"
I bowed lightly. "Hand work… and a little bit of luck."
The city lord chuckled. "Well said."
Ding
Sub-Mission Complete!
Reward Granted:
• +1500 xp points
• Unknown Token acquired
Ding
Current XP: 13777
Then, in front of everyone, a golden beam of light enveloped to top three.