Yun Jin finally stopped with her endless stream of flattery and looked ahead with curiosity.
This Sword Tomb, true to its name, was indeed a vast graveyard. But the graves here weren't for people. They were for swords. Countless rust-covered swords were thrust into the earth. In front of each blade stood a small stone stele, simply etched with the name of the sword buried there.
The spirit within each sword had long since faded. Their bodies were corroded, reduced to scrap metal. From a human's perspective, these swords were already dead. Which was why this place was called the Sword Tomb.
A first-time visitor instinctively tried to walk in. But the moment he reached the edge of the tomb, he was flung back by an invisible barrier.
Yu Lin smiled. "The Sword Domain hasn't opened yet. No need to rush."
After speaking, Yu Lin fell into silent waiting.
It was as if he was waiting for a specific moment.
Finally, when the sunlight struck the massive sword in the center of the Sword Tomb, Yu Lin opened his eyes.
He took out a sword-shaped jade token and began chanting an arcane incantation.
The process lasted about the time it would take for an incense stick to burn. By the time sweat beaded on Yu Lin's forehead, the transparent barrier shattered like a soap bubble with a crisp pop.
Sunlight spilled over the rusting blades. For a brief instant, the swords seemed to regain their vitality. But in the next moment, they fell back into silence, as if they had returned to an eternal slumber.
[Ding. Detected B-Class Secret Realm: Sword Tomb.]
The system's notification rang out automatically.
Yun Jin remained composed, but her mind was already racing.
Secret realm.
This was the first time the system had used that term.
If the Sword Tomb was a B-grade secret realm, then naturally, there were A-grade realms, and even higher.
She glanced at the system's definition of "secret realm."
[Secret Realm: A mysterious land formed due to various causes. Danger and fortune coexist. You may find treasure—or death. The grade is determined by difficulty and the rarity of treasures. The lowest is D-grade, the highest is SSS-grade.]
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes.
So D-grade was the baseline.
The Yu Clan's secret realm reached B-grade. That was already impressive.
For such a powerful realm to appear within an ordinary cultivator clan... intriguing.
Yu Lin looked over at the restless crowd and said calmly, "The Sword Domain is now open. Each section holds a buried sword of its own. To proceed, you must earn the recognition of the swords at the outer edge. If you are acknowledged by all of them, you may advance to the core and claim the true treasure within."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "For the first three days, each person may choose their own path. Do your best to gain the recognition of as many swords as you can. After three days, only the top three talents will remain. The rest will be forcibly teleported out. The final three will continue the trial. Ten days from now, if no one completes the challenge, the Sword Domain will close and await its next opening.
Additionally, only cultivators under a hundred years old and below the Unity stage may enter.
Those who meet the criteria, please proceed into the Sword Domain."
As Yu Lin finished speaking, he stepped aside.
Ma Yuanwu, who had clearly been here before, smiled and stepped forward. "Then I'll go first."
Mu Lan chuckled. "Go on. This Sword Domain is quite mysterious. The treasure inside must be extraordinary. When you retrieve it, let your master take a look too."
Ma Yuanwu nodded. "I won't disappoint you, Master."
He turned back and looked at Feng Linglong. "Fairy Linglong, you've come all this way. I assume you're here for the treasure as well. How about a little competition? Let's see who breaks through the domain faster."
Caught off guard, Feng Linglong felt a flicker of nervousness. But she had one advantage: no matter how unsettled she felt inside, her face always remained calm and composed.
"How do you propose we compete?" she asked.
Ma Yuanwu smiled. "The Sword Tomb splits into two paths, left and right. We each pick one. It'll be obvious who progresses faster."
Feng Linglong's posture stiffened slightly, but she knew this wasn't a moment to back down. She nodded slowly. "Very well."
Ma Yuanwu gestured in invitation. "Shall we go together?"
Feng Linglong glanced at Qin Ping.
Receiving his nod of approval, she stepped forward alongside Ma Yuanwu into the Sword Domain.
Ma Yuanwu chose the path to the left, so Feng Linglong took the one to the right. They began their respective challenges.
The others, worried that Ma Yuanwu and Feng Linglong would seize the advantage, rushed in one after another.
Yun Jin, however, remained unhurried. She strolled along at a leisurely pace with Yu Songnian. For some reason, Yu Liangping had also hung back, dragging his feet until he was beside them.
Yu Liangping gritted his teeth. "Yu Songnian, once Senior Brother Ma breaks through this Sword Domain, it'll be your death sentence."
Yu Songnian gave him a glance and replied flatly, "Oh."
Yu Liangping's face twisted.
He was already wary of Yun Jin and didn't dare provoke her. But that waste Yu Songnian—how dare he dismiss him so casually?
Yu Liangping sneered, "This domain has ten stages. I reached the sixth on my last attempt. I wonder how far a waste like you can go."
Yu Songnian looked at him again. "Oh."
Yu Liangping was so furious his hair almost stood on end. With one last cold glare, he stormed into the Sword Domain.
Neither Yun Jin nor Yu Songnian gave him a second thought.
Once inside, two paths appeared before them.
Left?
Or right?
Yun Jin smiled. "Third Senior Brother, I'll go left."
Ma Yuanwu had gone left.
Clearly, Yun Jin was targeting him.
Yu Songnian thought for a moment. "Then I'll take the right."
Their paths decided, they parted without further words.
On the left path, Yun Jin stepped forward with growing curiosity.
She hadn't walked far before spotting her first sword.
The others who had entered before her were already seated on the ground, undergoing the first trial. There was nothing visible in the surroundings, yet their expressions shifted as if confronting something unseen and strange.
Ma Yuanwu was nowhere to be seen.
Clearly, the early trials posed no real challenge to him.
He was aiming straight for the tenth stage.
Still, Yun Jin didn't rush. Her interest was caught by the nearby tombstone.
"Ice Jade Sword, peak Mystic grade. Destroyed a thousand years ago."
Only a brief inscription.
The sword, now so rusted it barely resembled a weapon, had once been a peak-grade Profound artifact?
Below the inscription, smaller characters followed.
"Insert divine sense into the tombstone to begin the first trial."
Yun Jin found a spot to sit, then followed the instructions and directed her spiritual sense into the stone.
Outside.
Yu Lin waved his hand, summoning a massive screen of water before the crowd. Within the water screen, each participant's progress in the domain was clearly visible.
The trials had only just begun. Aside from Ma Yuanwu and Feng Linglong, who had already reached the second stage, everyone else was still undergoing the first.
In terms of speed, Ma Yuanwu clearly held an edge over Feng Linglong.
Mu Lan glanced at Qin Ping and chuckled. "Linglong is already quite good, but she's still a step behind Yuanwu. It looks like the treasure will belong to us of the Yuehua Sect."
Qin Ping said nothing. His gaze lingered on Yun Jin.
He was curious.
This woman who had left such a deep impression on him—would she bring him even more surprises?