Three hours after the battle ended—
The news had already spread across all three realms.
It wasn't a victory report.
It wasn't propaganda.
Just a single, extremely short evaluation that left every major force silent:
"The Mortal Sect warzone is no longer suitable as a testing target."
Inside the Immortal Realm, a new term appeared for the first time:
High-Risk Domain.
But the "risk" wasn't because the enemy was too strong.
It was because anyone who entered—
Tended to become experience points for the Mortal Sect.
Once upon a time, the hierarchy of the Three Realms was simple:
Immortal Realm → Mortal RealmStrong → WeakPatronage → Dependence
Now, it had quietly shifted into something else:
Mortal Sect → Other RealmsSystem → IndividualChoice → Follow
Some Immortal cultivators even joked privately:
"Back then, descending to the lower realm was an inspection."
"Now it feels like signing up for a summer training camp."
Mortal Sect — Main Hall
There was no ceremony.
No grand celebration.
But a new boundary monument had appeared.
Four characters carved into the stone:
Lord of the Mortal Realm
No coronation.
No proclamation.
It was simply what the Three Realms had begun to call him.
Shen Yan stared at the inscription, throat dry.
"Your Majesty…"
Xiao Xuanyin glanced at the stone.
"Remove it."
Shen Yan froze.
"But this is the consensus of the Three Realms."
Xiao Xuanyin's voice was calm.
"If it's consensus…"
"…then it doesn't need to be carved."
"As long as they remember."
Midnight
Su Wan's phone lit up again.
A completely new interface appeared.
[Cross-Realm Combat Permissions Unlocked]Dungeon Types: Resource Competition / Foreign Realm Cleansing / Rule TestingDifficulty: Adjustable
Her eyes sparkled instantly.
"Your Majesty."
"They've marked the Chaos Zones they used to suppress us with…"
"…as unclaimed territory."
Xiao Xuanyin raised an eyebrow.
"And that means?"
Su Wan grinned.
"It means whoever enters…"
"…is responsible for their own survival."
She tilted her head.
"So basically?"
"Free experience farming."
First Run — The Rift Gorge
Black fog churned inside the rift.
Three major Immortal sects had once lost hundreds of cultivators here.
Now—
The Mortal Sect entered.
Not with elite veterans.
But mixed squads of rookies and instructors.
A newcomer whispered nervously.
"This place looks… dangerous."
A veteran patted his shoulder.
"Relax."
"The Sect Master's watching the backend."
Right then—
A rift beast burst from the fog.
"Pull the boss!"
Formations activated.
Skills rotated.
The beast slammed into the frontline.
One recruit was knocked back—
But instantly pulled back into formation.
[Failure Status: Denied][Correction Protocol Issued]
The rookie blinked.
"…Wait."
"You can do that?!"
Su Wan's voice echoed through the channel.
"Relax."
"My phone skill provides error tolerance mode."
The beast collapsed.
Reward notifications exploded across the team interface.
The rookie suddenly broke through to the next stage.
He stared at his hands.
"…Did I just win that fight?"
The veteran laughed.
"Welcome to the Mortal Sect."
"Here, combat is how you level up."
Immortal Realm Panic
When the Mortal Sect began farming cross-realm dungeons—
The Immortal Realm panicked.
"They're clearing our buffer zones!"
"If this continues, every gray territory will become their training ground!"
The worst part?
They weren't even getting injured.
Fight.
Record.
Clean the area.
Then leave.
No outposts.
No banners.
No conquest.
Finally, an ancient Immortal ancestor spoke cautiously:
"…What if we invite Xiao Xuanyin to join the Immortal Council?"
The messenger returned shortly after.
"He refused."
"…Reason?"
The messenger hesitated.
"…He said he was busy."
The Immortal Council: "..."
The Next Morning
A Mortal Sect disciple submitted an official request.
"Dungeon Difficulty Adjustment Proposal"
Reason:
"The current enemies are becoming a bit too easy."
In the approval column—
Xiao Xuanyin personally wrote two characters:
Approved.
Then he said calmly:
"If they enjoy it…"
"I'll lead them."
"All the way to the top."
But That Night
When everything seemed unstoppable—
Su Wan's phone flashed again.
A notification unlike any before.
[Unknown Signal Detected: Primordial Domain]Not Immortal Realm / Not Mortal Realm / Not Any Known SystemDanger Level: Unknown
She slowly looked up.
Her tone turned serious.
"Your Majesty."
"This time…"
"Our enemy might not come from another realm."
She paused.
"…But from something that has been writing the rules all along."