Three days after the announcement of the Myriad Beast Secret Realm, the entire Qingyun Sect was thrown into a state of frenzied excitement. The ancient realm, which only opened once every hundred years, held the legendary Ancient Dragon God Inheritance, along with countless heavenly spiritual herbs, top-tier spirit weapons, and cultivation techniques that could elevate a cultivator's strength overnight. For the young geniuses of the sect, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rise to the top of the Eastern Region.
The Sect Master and core elders had released the official selection rules: in three days, the Qingyun Sect Core Disciple Competition would be held. The top 10 disciples in the competition would earn a spot in the Myriad Beast Secret Realm, along with a generous supply of life-saving pills and spirit stones for the journey. Every inner sect disciple with a Foundation Establishment cultivation base threw themselves into desperate cultivation, all dreaming of earning one of the 10 precious spots.
But on Chaos Peak, Lin Chen remained completely unaffected by the frenzy sweeping through the sect. He sat cross-legged in his core cultivation cave, surrounded by dense, golden spiritual energy, his mind focused solely on stabilizing his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation. He knew that the Myriad Beast Secret Realm would be far more dangerous than the Qingyun Secret Realm. He would be facing the top geniuses from every major sect in the Eastern Region, along with ancient demonic beasts powerful enough to kill Core Formation experts with a single blow. Only absolute strength would keep him alive, and earn him the Ancient Dragon God Inheritance.
As the first rays of dawn spilled through the cave's crystal opening, the familiar cold mechanical voice rang in his mind.
[Ding! Daily sign-in refresh completed! Do you want to sign in now?]
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lin Chen's mouth. This sign-in would be his first major preparation for the Myriad Beast Secret Realm.
"Sign in."
[Ding! Sign-in successful! Congratulations to host for obtaining:
1. Cultivation Base Upgrade: Peak Foundation Establishment!
2. High-Grade Heaven-Rank Skill: Ancient Dragon Might Aura!
3. Special Item: Dragon Soul Bone Fragment x1!
4. Special Item: Myriad Beast Repelling Incense x10!
5. Spirit Stones: 350,000!]
Boom!
A boundless surge of pure, chaotic spiritual energy exploded inside Lin Chen's body, breaking through the final barrier of late-stage Foundation Establishment and stepping smoothly into the absolute peak of the realm in an instant. His golden core glowed with a blinding golden light, his Primordial Chaos Divine Body strengthening to a level where even a full-power attack from an early-stage Core Formation expert could not leave a scratch on him.
At the same time, a flood of ancient, profound memories flooded into his mind. The Ancient Dragon Might Aura, a heaven-rank skill inherited from the primordial dragon gods, could suppress all demonic beasts below the Core Formation realm with a single burst of aura, and even weaken higher-level beasts significantly. The Dragon Soul Bone Fragment would not only strengthen his spiritual sense tenfold, but also give him a natural resonance with the Ancient Dragon God Inheritance in the Myriad Beast Secret Realm, making him far more likely to claim it than any other competitor. The Myriad Beast Repelling Incense would keep all low and mid-tier demonic beasts away from him in the secret realm, allowing him to focus on the real treasures and dangers.
Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing through them before fading away. Now, at the peak of Foundation Establishment, with his full set of heaven-rank skills and the newly awakened Dragon Might Aura, he was already the undisputed strongest young disciple in the Qingyun Sect, bar none.
Just as he was about to test his new Ancient Dragon Might Aura, a soft knock sounded on the cave door. It was the head of the Foundation Establishment disciples guarding Chaos Peak, his voice respectful and slightly urgent. "Senior Brother Lin Chen, the Sect Master has called an emergency meeting of all core disciples and elders. He requests your presence immediately at the main hall."
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. He had expected this. The Sect Master would want to finalize the plans for the Myriad Beast Secret Realm, and address the growing unrest among the inner sect's top disciples about his position.
He stood up, slinging the Thunder Dragon Blade over his shoulder, and walked out of the cave. Using his Thunder Dragon Steps, he arrived at the Qingyun Sect's main hall in less than a minute.
Inside, the hall was packed. The Sect Master sat on the highest throne, with the three Grand Elders on either side of him. Below them stood all the core elders of the sect, along with the top 20 inner sect disciples, including Qin Lie, who had recovered from his defeat and now looked at Lin Chen with nothing but respect and awe.
But as soon as Lin Chen walked into the hall, a cold, sharp gaze locked onto him, filled with disdain and jealousy.
The gaze came from a tall, cold-faced young man in a black inner sect robe, standing beside the First Grand Elder. This was Xiao Chen, the First Grand Elder's only personal disciple, and the former second-ranked genius of the inner sect, only below Qin Lie. He was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, having spent five years refining his cultivation to perfection, and had been in closed-door cultivation for six months, on the verge of breaking through to Core Formation. He had emerged the day before, and had been furious to learn that a 16-year-old new disciple had not only become the Sect Master's personal disciple, but was also being hailed as the sect's new number one genius.
The moment Lin Chen took his place, Xiao Chen stepped forward, bowing slightly to the Sect Master and elders, before turning to stare at Lin Chen with cold arrogance. "Sect Master, Grand Elders, I have something to say. We all know that the Myriad Beast Secret Realm is the most important event for our sect in a hundred years. The 10 spots we have must go to our most experienced, most powerful disciples, not to a new disciple who has only been in the sect for a week."
The hall fell silent. All the elders and disciples exchanged looks, knowing that this was the confrontation everyone had been waiting for.
The First Grand Elder nodded slightly, his voice cold and firm. "Sect Master, Xiao Chen is right. Lin Chen is undoubtedly talented, but he is too young, too inexperienced. The Myriad Beast Secret Realm is filled with danger, not just from demonic beasts, but from geniuses of other sects who will not hesitate to kill our disciples to steal the treasures. We cannot risk a precious spot on an untested new disciple."
A few other elders nodded in agreement, while the Sect Master's face darkened slightly. Before he could speak, Lin Chen stepped forward, his voice calm and steady, echoing through the silent hall. "With all due respect, First Grand Elder, whether I am qualified for a spot is not decided by my time in the sect, but by my strength. If any disciple here believes they are more qualified than me, they are welcome to challenge me. If they can defeat me, I will give up my spot willingly."
The hall erupted into quiet murmurs. No one had expected Lin Chen to be so bold, to openly invite challenges from the sect's top disciples.
Xiao Chen's face twisted with rage. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. He stepped forward, staring at Lin Chen with burning malice. "Fine! I challenge you, Lin Chen! Right here, right now! If you win, I will admit you are qualified for the spot, and I will hand over all my 200,000 spirit stones and my top-grade spirit sword to you. If I win, you give up your spot in the secret realm, and admit that you are not fit to be the Sect Master's personal disciple! Do you dare?"
The entire hall held its breath. This was a duel between the Sect Master's personal disciple and the First Grand Elder's personal disciple, a clash that would decide the future of the sect's younger generation.
The Sect Master looked at Lin Chen, and seeing the calm confidence in his eyes, nodded slowly. "Very well. The duel will be held in the inner sect's main arena immediately. No lethal attacks are permitted, but all other techniques are allowed. The winner will be decided by surrender or knockout."
Within minutes, the entire inner sect had gathered in the arena. Thousands of disciples packed the stands, all here to watch the showdown between Lin Chen and Xiao Chen. Even Qin Lie stood at the front of the crowd, his eyes fixed on the arena, curious to see just how strong Lin Chen had become in just three days.
Lin Chen and Xiao Chen stepped into the center of the arena, facing each other ten meters apart.
"Begin!" The First Grand Elder, acting as referee, called out, his voice cold.
The moment the words left his mouth, Xiao Chen exploded into action. He drew his top-grade spirit sword, the blade glowing with a blinding white light, and activated the Qingyun Sect's most powerful core technique, the Qingyun Sovereign Sword Art—a peak heaven-rank skill that only the First Grand Elder and his personal disciple were permitted to learn. He had spent ten years mastering this technique, and it had defeated countless peak Foundation Establishment experts.
"YOU ARROGANT BRAT! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A REAL GENIUS LOOKS LIKE!" Xiao Chen roared, and a huge sword beam, a hundred meters long, shot forward, slicing through the air, the force of the attack shaking the entire arena.
The crowd screamed in shock. This was Xiao Chen's full power, an attack strong enough to injure even a Core Formation expert. No one thought Lin Chen could survive it.
But at that moment, Lin Chen activated his Chaos Insight Divine Eye. The world around him slowed down, and he saw every single flaw in Xiao Chen's sword beam, every gap in his technique, every weakness in his spiritual power circulation.
He didn't draw his Thunder Dragon Blade. Instead, he took a deep breath, and activated his new skill, the Ancient Dragon Might Aura.
Roar!
A deafening, ancient dragon roar erupted from Lin Chen's body, a primordial aura so powerful it pressed down on the entire arena. Xiao Chen froze instantly, his body trembling, his spiritual power seizing up completely. He felt as if he was standing in front of a primordial dragon god, his mind filled with uncontrollable terror, his sword beam dissolving into nothingness before it could even reach Lin Chen.
The entire arena fell dead silent. Every single disciple felt their legs trembling under the dragon aura, even the elders on the high platform felt their hearts skip a beat. The demonic beasts in the sect's spirit beast park miles away whimpered and bowed to the ground, terrified of the ancient dragon might.
Before Xiao Chen could even recover from the terror of the dragon aura, Lin Chen's figure appeared in front of him in a flash of blue thunder. He raised his hand, and pressed a single finger against Xiao Chen's forehead. A faint golden glow wrapped around his finger, and Xiao Chen's body went rigid, his eyes rolling back in his head, as he collapsed to the ground unconscious.
In less than two seconds, the duel was over.
Lin Chen had defeated Xiao Chen, the peak Foundation Establishment genius, without even drawing his sword, without using a single offensive technique.
The entire arena was dead silent for a full ten seconds.
Then, the crowd erupted into a deafening cheer, so loud it shook the Qingyun Mountains. Thousands of disciples chanted Lin Chen's name over and over, their eyes filled with awe and reverence. Even Qin Lie bowed his head deeply, knowing that he would never be able to match Lin Chen's strength.
The First Grand Elder's face was pale with shock and humiliation, but he could say nothing. Lin Chen had defeated his disciple fair and square, with a level of power he had never thought possible for a 16-year-old boy.
The Sect Master stood up, a bright smile on his face, and announced in a loud voice that echoed across the arena. "Lin Chen wins the duel! He is guaranteed the first spot in the Myriad Beast Secret Realm team! From today onward, Lin Chen will be the official leader of the Qingyun Sect's Myriad Beast Secret Realm team! All nine other disciples will follow his orders without question!"
The crowd cheered even louder. No one dared to object. Lin Chen had proven beyond any doubt that he was the strongest young disciple in the sect, and the only one fit to lead them into the secret realm.
[Ding! Host has defeated Xiao Chen and completed the hidden mission!]
[Reward issued: 400,000 Spirit Stones, Full Map of the Myriad Beast Secret Realm, and a special upgrade to the Primordial Chaos Divine Sense!]
A powerful surge of energy flooded Lin Chen's body, strengthening his spiritual sense even further. The full map of the Myriad Beast Secret Realm appeared in his mind, every hidden danger, every treasure location, and the exact location of the Ancient Dragon God Inheritance laid out clearly before him.
That night, as Lin Chen returned to Chaos Peak, he received a piece of urgent news from the sect's intelligence hall. The other major sects of the Eastern Region, including the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Pill Cauldron Sect, and the Demonic Wind Valley, had all announced their secret realm teams. Each of them was sending their top geniuses, including a few disciples who had already broken through to the Core Formation realm. Worse, rumors were spreading that the Heavenly Sword Sect and Demonic Wind Valley had made a pact to kill the Qingyun Sect's team the moment they entered the secret realm, to eliminate their biggest competition for the Dragon God Inheritance.
Lin Chen smiled faintly, gripping the Thunder Dragon Blade in his hand. He had expected betrayal and danger in the secret realm. But every enemy that came for him was just another stepping stone, another chance to gain more rewards from the Supreme Sign-In System.
In three days, the Core Disciple Competition would begin, and he would finalize his team. In three months, he would enter the Myriad Beast Secret Realm, and shock the entire Eastern Region.
His journey from trash to Immortal Emperor was only just beginning.